A Birmingham woman who spent £880 on National Lottery Scratchcards with friends has been left gutted after failing to win back their money. Megan Smith Evans and her workmates conducted a year-long experiment, buying a £5 Scratchcard every Friday from April to November. They stored them all to reveal together, hoping for a big win.
The Experiment
Megan admitted the £880 investment was a lot of money, but they felt certain they would at least recoup their outlay. In a TikTok clip, she said: "It took us about an hour to scratch through them all. We triple-checked every single one." However, their optimism was crushed. She added: "We had a second person checking them, we had a syndicate contract in case we won big and we didn't even win our money back. I think we lost about £50 each, and it was just gutting."
Reaction and Impact
Megan said: "We were all so hopeful and we didn't win it, and, actually, it's put me off Scratchcards for life. I used to love Scratchcards - including online ones. I used to be obsessed actually. I spent an absolute fortune on them, and I didn't win anything. With the online Scratchcards as well - it just feels like such fake money, and easy to do. At least with the in-person Scratchcards it's like a bit of in-person fun. But yeah, it's put me off Scratchcards completely. I spent way too much money on them."
The clip garnered many views and reactions. One viewer commented: "Oh no! We have only done them on an occasion, and not that much, but we don't do them often anymore." Another said: "The suspense of waiting that long to scratch them must have been horrendous. Gutted you didn't win your money back on them." A third responded: "I'm still not over it."
Chances of Winning
Estimates suggest that your chances of winning on a £5 Scratchcard game stand at roughly one in four. This figure also encompasses breakeven cards (where you win £5). That said, punters will invariably face marginally different odds across various games. For further details, this information is typically printed on the reverse of the particular card you're using.
The National Lottery website states that customers are now restricted to buying no more than 10 Scratchcards in a single transaction. This policy applies across all retail outlets where The National Lottery is available to play.
If you're worried about how gambling makes you or someone else feel, visit GambleAware for help and support.
