Online scratch cards (or ‘scratchies’) are a popular casino game with New Zealand players because they are entertaining, visually engaging and very easy to play. No particular skill, understanding of strategy or a detailed knowledge of rules is required as they are purely games of chance, making scratch cards a game that anyone can enjoy. The only real choice scratch card players are required to make is in regards to the size of stake that they play for.
Online scratchies are themed in the same way that online pokies often are, and popular themes include sports such as cricket, rugby and football, hit movies and TV shows, as well as scratch cards based on well-known pokies. Therefore, players can generally find a game that has a particular appeal for them.
Free scratch cards can be found at many of our recommended online casinos, which gives players the opportunity to find a style of game, theme and wagering level that suits them. Both free scratch games and real money online scratchies are powered by leading software developers such as Microgaming, Playtech and NetEnt, and so when you play scratch cards you can be assured of a high quality gaming experience. In addition, the casinos that we list here have mobile casinos where scratch cards and other casino games can be played on the go on any sort of mobile device.
Online scratch cards can be played at these New Zealand casinos:
Scratch cards are a great game because they’re simple, have good a good payout percentage, and offer a higher degree of variety and interactivity than conventional scratch cards. When you play scratch games you can choose a wagering level that suits, and you’ll find high levels of visually engaging and inventive game play. The casinos that we recommend have a good selection of different games of all types, and can be relied upon to offer leading New Zealand scratch games in a high quality gaming environment.
Online scratch cards, like their paper counterparts, are easy to play, although there is a great deal more variety, entertainment and interactivity in online games. Like pokies and other online games, players can not only choose the size of bet they want to make but can alter this as they play, with the size of any potential prize reflecting the size of the wager.
Online scratch cards can be straightforward scratch and win games, like Cashapillar or Dawn of the Bread, where between six and nine hidden symbols are ‘scratched off’ to reveal the prizes underneath. Three or more matches awards the prize value that is shown.
Games can also consist of an additional scratch cards bonus game, which is thematically linked to the first and usually includes a brief, animated feature (similar to a bonus feature on an online pokie) that provides the chance to win an additional prize. However, there are a other variations as well, some of which involve a greater degree of player interaction.
To start playing online scratch cards, click the New Card button. ‘Scratching’ the symbols to reveal what is hidden beneath can be done one by one, so that players can choose the order in which the hidden symbols are revealed. (Useful scratch cards tips include clicking the Reveal All button whereby all the symbols will be revealed automatically, which significantly speeds up the gameplay.) To win, three matching values need to be revealed.
Scratch cards are largely popular because there are frequent payouts and wins, albeit not always huge ones. However, for those who like to feel that they are always involved in the action, scratch cards give a good return and frequency of payout. Nevertheless, big jackpot wins are possible, depending on the game and the size of the wager.
With the best scratch cards you can expect a payout percentage of around 96% at the online casinos that we recommend. This compares very favourably to other sorts of online casino games such as pokies, and so there is always good value to be had. They also compare very favourably with physical lotto scratch cards where the prize-winning cards are determined long before you purchase one or have a chance to scratch and win, because with scratch online cards each time you start a new game the symbols are produced by a random number generator (RNG), meaning you have essentially the same chance of winning every time you play, irrespective of previous games or other winners.
Although online scratch games are generally based on the same principle of revealing symbols and trying to match values to win a prize, there is nevertheless a good deal of variety both in their themes and the way they are played. This variety is undoubtedly where online scratchies have the advantage over paper versions, as the gameplay varies more and there is a greater level of interactivity.
The Marvel scratch card series – whether you are a fan of the Incredible Hulk, The XMen or Ironman – the Marvel series from Playtech based on the Super Hero comics have a game for you. The latest Hulk movie, released in 2008, forms the basis of this Playtech progressive jackpot scratchie, and the game skilfully utilises imagery and scenes from the film. Try out casino.com’s The Hulk scratch game which is our favorite Marvel Super hero.
Bowled Over is a cricket-themed scratch card where the symbols in Game 1 that need to be matched are caricatures of famous international players, while Game 2 involves a ball being bowled at a set of stumps, and if it hits them a bonus prize is awarded. Similar to this is Offside and Seek, a football-themed game where again caricatures of famous players are the symbols in Game 1, but in Game 2 the bonus is won when a player heads a goal.
A less conventional scratch card game is Bunny Boiler, which is a game not dissimilar to old-fashioned Snakes & Ladders, in that rather than scratching to reveal hidden symbols, you roll a dice and progress around the board, trying to avoid your bunny being killed while picking up prizes along the way. Another game that plays in this way is Space Evader, where you are an alien creature trying to find your way back to your spacecraft before being attacked. These games and others like them demonstrate that playing online scratchies is a much more varied experience than traditional scratch cards.
