Need an easy stocking stuffer?

Did you forget about your office “Secret Santa” pool?

Want to pick up something thoughtful for your favorite grocery store cashier?

Whatever the reason, ‘tis the season to get familiar with scratch-offs from the New York State Lotto! 

Think about it - scratch-off lotto tickets are hands down the best gift to give someone this holiday season, whether you know the recipient well or not. For just a few bucks, you’re giving someone a tiny (and hopeful!) break in their day where they can take some time for themselves and scratch their way to a potential fortune. 

Plus, think about the gift you’ll get in return next year if they win a massive prize!

Scratch-Offs Are The Easiest Way To Win The New York State Lottery

Most New Yorkers think that the only lotto tickets that are worth buying are the ones with massive payouts, like the Powerball and Mega Millions. 

Getty Images/Canva
Getty Images/Canva
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But first, think about the logistics. If you purchase a ticket with big draws like those, you’re competing with millions of other lottery hopefuls - not just here in New York State, but across the country. 

Your odds of actually winning those few and far between huge payouts are basically non-existent. 

In comparison, scratch-off tickets are a much easier way to win the NY Lotto (not to mention a lot more fun).

Scratch-Offs Are The Best Way To Go In The New York Lotto

Isn’t it so satisfying to dig a quarter out of your car’s cup holder to find out right away if you’ve won money from a scratch-off ticket?  Why wait for a huge drawing (that you probably won’t win) when you can find out instantly if you’ve won or lost on a scratch-off?

man scratching off lotto ticket
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However, here’s the thing…

You Need To Be Picky About Which Scratch-Offs You Buy From The NY Lotto

So many fans of playing and gifting scratch-offs just pick the games with the snazziest name or the highest grand prize. Don’t do that! 

There’s a better way to pick which scratch-off game you should play from the New York State lottery - look at their odds of winning

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Why Odds Of Winning Matters When Playing NY Lotto Scratch-Offs

What many people don’t realize before they grab a scratch-off is that different games have different numbers of prizes still available

By just picking any ticket at random at  the convenience store, you could have possibly picked a game that  may only have one or two prizes left to win. (And some of them don’t have any prizes left at all, but New York State hasn’t pulled them from stores yet! How rude.)

Your best bet is to buy scratch-offs that have the highest odds of winning, based on the number of prizes still up for grabs. 

But how do you know which games those are?

How To Know Which NY Lotto Scratch-Offs Have The Best Odds

Right on the New York State Lottery website, you can look at the odds for every scratch-off game currently available.

NY Lotto
NY Lotto
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Each game lists the amount of each cash prize, the number of those prizes still available to win, and the odds of winning percentage for each.

Unfortunately, making sense of all of that data the NY Lotto provides can be confusing, and if you’re not good with numbers, all of the info could make your head spin. 

These Are The Best NY Lotto Scratch-Off Games To Buy In December

Thanks to a company called LottoEdge, who took some serious time to analyze all of those numbers, we now know which NY Lotto scratch-offs will give you (or whoever you drew in the holiday office pool) the best chance of scoring a cash prize. 

Keep scrolling to find out the 10 New York State lottery scratch-offs that, according to LottoEdge, will give you and the lucky people on your gift list the best shot of winning.

10 Best Scratch-Offs To Buy This December In New York State

Based on odds of winning, here are the best lottery scratch-off games to purchase right now in New York State to score some cash.

Gallery Credit: New York State Lottery/Canva

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