Arkansas Lottery Still Using Long Odds, Big Prizes on Expensive Scratch-Off Tickets to Entice Gamblers

The Arkansas Lottery still relies heavily on expensive scratch-off tickets offering big prizes on long odds to drive revenue.

Financial reports show that since the State’s fiscal year began on July 1, nearly 78% of all lottery ticket sales in Arkansas have come from instant tickets — more than $100 million. But scratch-off lottery tickets also have a long history of being associated with problem gambling and gambling addiction.

The Arkansas Lottery also sells expensive scratch-off tickets that controversially entice people to spend higher amounts of money on long odds for large prizes.

For example, the Arkansas Lottery currently advertises half a dozen scratch-off tickets that sell for $20 each. The top prizes on these tickets run anywhere from $50,000 to $1 million. However, at best, the odds of winning a break-even prize on one of them are approximately one in three. The odds of winning a jackpot prize on some are as high as one in a million or more.

Scratch-off tickets like these prey on vulnerable people — including people who gamble out of desperation or suffer from gambling disorders. State-run lotteries like Arkansas’ have not delivered on their promises of improving education, and they do not provide harmless entertainment. It’s predatory gambling with serious consequences.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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