We lose more times than we win.
We lose more money than we win back.
You might see a video of ours that shows some great wins, or is even a net-profit “session.”
They’re fun, but very uncommon.
It’s important to us that we’re clear about having lost much more than we have won, or may ever win back.
We do enjoy it and we even make a bit of money with it in other ways, but the scratch tickets themselves are not at all profitable.
We try to make enjoyable videos but don’t want to be glamorizing the idea of gambling, a tough line to not cross.
Our All-Time Net Losses to Date
As of April 8, 2025, we have —
- Played 2,132 scratch off tickets.
- Spent $62,157 on scratch off tickets.
- Won $49,230 from scratch off tickets.
- FOR AN ALL-TIME NET LOSS OF -$12,927.
- Which is a return on investment, or an “ROI” of -20.80%.
(These are big losses for sure. That’s why we’re sharing them. But please also understand, had we gone back to Day 1 and not bought a single ticket we wouldn’t now “have $62,000.” Because, math.)
- Our single largest win to date occurred August 8, 2024, for $1,000, on Ticket #15 of “Loteria Supreme”—a $100 Texas scratch off ticket. [A 900% ROI]
- Our single greatest return to date occurred April 8, 2025, with a $250 win on Ticket #22 of “Sizzling Hot 7s”—a new $5 Texas scratch off ticket. [A 4,900% ROI]
(No logic or advice intended here, these are useless but fun anecdotes; lottery lore.)
Throughout the 2,132 tickets we’ve played, we have hit just one “claimer,” (of $1,000, listed above) defined as a ticket win for which a player will need to visit a physical Lottery office rather than a retailer. Claimers are usually single ticket wins of $600 or more. (In Texas, wins of $5,000 and under are paid out online.)
We lose more than we win.
Though we enjoy what we do, we do not recommend that you do it.
What State Lotteries Say About Losses
The Texas Lottery and other State Lotteries advise that players (like ourselves) play not to make money, but to have a bit of fun—
- “Gamble only for fun. Remember, it’s just a game.”
- “Consider lottery as part of your entertainment budget, not as a way to make money.” — Texas Lottery
- “Don’t think of the Lottery as a way to make money.”
- “All of our tickets are intended to be fun games, not a source of income.”
- “Not winning is part of playing the Lottery.” — Florida Lottery
