A group of friends spent £880 on National Lottery Scratchcards to see if they could win big. Megan Smith Evans was involved in the experiment, and was left totally floored by her winnings
Lots of people try their luck on Scratchcards now and then to see if they can win big, but one friendship group spent hundreds to see if they could make a hefty profit. Megan Smith Evans was left totally floored after she and her friends splashed out £880 on National Lottery Scratchcards to see how much they could win.
Talking about it online, she admitted she previously carried out a “crazy” experiment by buying a heap of Scratchcards and scratching them off with friends in a single night. Instead of going for a traditional lottery syndicate, she and her colleagues decided to do a Scratchcard version, and they each snapped up a £5 Scratchcard every Friday from April to November to see how much money they could win.
To ensure there was a big reveal at the end, they saved them all up to scratch them off together. Megan admitted she was “so hopeful” throughout the year, as she thought she’d have a chance of winning a decent amount due to her efforts.
Even though she admitted £880 was “so much money” to spend, they were confident they’d at least make their money back. In a TikTok video, Megan explained: “It took us about an hour to scratch through them all. We triple-checked every single one.”
It wasn’t long before her hopes were dashed though. At the time, 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.
“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 video has been viewed several times, and people made all sorts of comments. Many were keen to share their views on Scratchcards.
One person said: “Oh no! We have only done them on an occasion, and not that much, but we don’t do them often anymore.”
Another added: “The suspense of waiting that long to scratch them must have been horrendous. Gutted you didn’t win your money back on them.” And a third also replied: “I’m still not over it.”
What are the odds of winning?
Reports estimate that your odds of winning on a £5 Scratchcard game is around one in four. This also includes breakeven cards (where you win £5).
Even so, players will always have slightly different odds on different games. If you need more information, it’s usually detailed on the back of the specific card you’re playing.
According to the National Lottery website, people are now limited to purchasing a maximum of 10 Scratchcards in one transaction. This rule is in place at all stores where you can play The National Lottery.
If you’re worried about how gambling makes you or someone else feel, visit GambleAware for help and support.
