Scratch Card Superstitions

Superstitions Regarding Scratch Cards and Lottery Tickets

An Overview

A scratch card is basically a small card where you have to scratch off an opaque part of the card under which you can find out if you have won a prize or not. Computer generated lotteries were initiated in the mid 1970s, and they have been popular ever since. Since such cards are generally pretty cheap and you can instantly figure out if you have won the prize or not, it is no surprise that scratch cards are extremely popular amongst the general population. Add to this the excitement and anticipation that one experiences when scratching a scratch car, it is no wonder that there are many loyalists who purchase the same game every week in hopes of being able to win the jackpot. The greater the cost of the scratch card, the greater the prizes on offer, with some prizes going upwards of millions of dollars.

As the popularity of scratch cards increased, so did the theories and superstitions surrounding it. Many people have come up with various superstitions that they believe increase their odds of winning big and help to avoid losing. Even though these beliefs and strategies are not based in reality, many people swear by them.

Strategies of Winners?

Various strategies have evolved in the relatively simple act of scratching a card and discovering whether you have won anything. However, some of these are actually helpful. Firstly, a player should always consider going for cards that offer a greater chance of winning, as it obviously increases the odds of you winning something. When a person selects a card, he should be well aware of all the games available in order to select the appropriate game that provides the best odds.

Meanwhile, other scratch card winnings are paid out over a long period of time which can often be a good thing if a player opts for it due to it guaranteeing you money over a long period of time. This is also a good idea as it prevents people from blowing of their entire winnings within a short period of time.

Scratch Card Superstitions

As is prone to happen with any game of chance, people create their own beliefs which they think boost their chances of winning, as it is against human mentality to accept that there are things beyond our control. Some of the more popular superstitions include purchasing a scratch card from a specific place, which is likely to be a place where a winning ticket was sold, while others simply buy it from stores or gas stations close to them. Even though it doesn’t increase the odds, it has been reported that a store that sold a previous winning ticket saw its sales increase almost immediately.

As players are prone to do while selecting a bet in roulette, they use lucky numbers while selecting the numbers. These numbers can be the date of special events such as a wedding anniversary or a birthday, or it could consist of numbers that a person simply thinks are lucky to him. While some people stick to the exact same numbers for every ticket, some use different lucky numbers for every card. There are even people who purchase the exact number of tickets as their lucky number. Even though there are variations in the use of numbers by the people, the theory of using lucky numbers has stayed consistent throughout the years.

Can Dreams Come True?

People often lay great value in dreams. A person gets in a car accident, and he abstains from driving for at least that day, as he is afraid that the dream will come true and the same will happen in real life. There is of course no logical rationale in this, but the decision is actually based on emotions. In the same manner, people often dream of the places from which they purchased the lottery tickets. And even though this dream has no affect on the chances of the same numbers winning in real life, people often tend to follow their dreams in such cases, and select the same numbers they dreamt about. And if a person does win after following their dream, they are definitely going to credit their dream for helping them achieve what realistically had nothing to do with the dream at all.

Other Superstitions

Other superstitious people, meanwhile, carry lucky charms such as a rabbit’s foot as well as four leaf clovers in order to boost their chances of winning, even though they never mathematically increase the person’s chances of winning. Some people prefer homemade trinkets that have often been passed down from generation to generation and which they believe contain good luck.

For some people, there are specific actions that must be followed in order to have any chance at all of picking out a winning scratch card. These include stepping in a gas store or supermarket with their left foot while making sure that the cashier, when handing out the ticket, gives them the ticket with his right hand. People may even take it upon themselves to place a silver coin inside their show when purchasing a scratch card as they think it may end up being beneficial. Meanwhile, there are people who believe rubbing a bald man’s head will bring them luck and so, rub a bald man’s head before getting a ticket while some wear a pin upside down on their shirt when buying a scratch card.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, every person feels a bit superstitious when buying a scratch card, though some show it more than others. While some may take their beliefs a step too high, others will take minor steps that they believe will help increase their odds. Even though superstitions and such beliefs have absolutely no effect on the outcome of the result, at the very least, it gives people confidence and hope, two attributes severely lacking nowadays.

Hence, there is nothing unhealthy in believing in superstitions. And hence, there is nothing wrong in believing in superstitions. In fact, superstitions can help create excitement and anticipation for the person purchasing the scratch card, which is a good thing on its own. In fact, there is the amusing anecdote of a person who used to be extremely superstitious, but immediately stopped when told that it might bring him bad luck while playing.