A lot of research happens before a new scratch game hits your store. We look at what play styles, price points and prize levels are most popular with our players. Then, our scratch product manager and our ticket vendors get to work on ticket design, prize structure and game odds.
When we’re sure that we’ve put together a game that our players will be excited to play, the behind the scenes work begins.
Our ticket vendors use software that generates a variable data algorithm so every ticket printed has the same random chance to win. Each ticket is printed with multiple layers of security and every part of the game goes through an independent audit. Games are tested to make sure that every ticket looks exactly the same and that no ticket can be tampered with once it’s available to play.
Tickets are inspected as they are packaged at the printing facility, loaded onto trucks that are securely sealed, and are shipped off to the Minnesota Lottery. Then, our staff gets the new games ready to be sent to retail locations across the state and activated for sale by the clerks that serve you. Did you know that lottery tickets have no value until they’re activated at your lottery retailer?
One common misconception is that someone knows where the winning tickets are. Nope! Tickets are programmed and printed in a way that nobody – not our vendor, not the lottery, and not our retailer partners – knows which tickets are winners until they are scratched by you!
Lottery staff and our vendors all work together to deliver scratch games that are securely produced to make sure that every player has the fun of playing a game that gives them a fair chance to win a prize.