Scratch Analyzer FAQ

01. Where does the data come from and how often is it updated?

All game statistics are sourced directly from the official Colorado Lottery Scratch Insider report (coloradolottery.com/player-tools/scratch-insider/). The Colorado Lottery updates these figures once daily. Our app ingests this data to track live top prizes remaining, ticket prices, overall odds, payout percentages, and claim deadlines.

02. What is the Jackpot Concentration Index (JCI)?

The Jackpot Concentration Index measures whether a game's remaining top prizes are holding steady relative to how many tickets have likely been sold. It is calculated as:

A JCI of 1.0x means top prizes are being claimed at the exact rate tickets sell. A JCI greater than 1.5x indicates a "sweet spot": the game has been on shelves for months (meaning thousands of losing tickets have been bought and discarded), yet most or all of the top prizes remain unclaimed.

03. How is the estimated remaining ticket pool calculated?

Because the Colorado Lottery does not publish real-time unsold ticket counts, the app estimates ticket depletion using a baseline expected shelf-life slider (defaulting to 365 days) and the game's start date:

We cap the minimum remaining ticket floor at 5% so older games that remain active don't divide by zero. To prevent multi-year stragglers from distorting the leaderboard, JCI points are capped at a maximum of 3.0x.

04. What is the difference between "Global Score" and "Best in Price Tier"?

• Global Score: Evaluates all active games across all price tiers ($1 to $50) simultaneously using a 4-factor weight distribution (50% JCI, 20% Payout %, 20% Hit Frequency, 10% Top Prize Multiple). Because higher-priced tickets ($20–$50) have higher baseline payouts (up to 80%), they naturally dominate global rankings.
• Best in Price Tier: Normalizes tickets strictly against other games of the exact same price. When active, the 20% Payout weight (which is identical for all games of the same price) is automatically redistributed into JCI and Odds (62.5% JCI, 25% Odds, 12.5% Multiple), allowing you to find the absolute best $5 or $10 ticket without price bias.

05. What does "Grounded in 1 CCR 206-1-5" mean?

1 CCR 206-1-5 (Rule 5) is the official Code of Colorado Regulations governing Colorado Lottery Instant Scratch Games. Specifically, Rule 5.8.1 dictates that all prizes must be claimed within 180 days after the announced end-of-game date.

When the Scratch Insider report lists a specific calendar date under Last Day to Claim, subtracting 180 days reveals when ticket distribution legally ended. The app uses this to flag games with a ⚠️ Ending Soon badge.

06. What is the difference between Jackpot Mode and Burst Mode?

Scratch games are filtered by their initial top prize count:

• Jackpot Mode (≤ 10 Top Prizes): Default view. Focuses on games with limited top prizes (e.g., 2 to 9 jackpots of $100k–$3.78M) where tracking remaining inventory is critical.
• Burst Mode (> 10 Top Prizes): For high-frequency "Frenzy" or cash-crop style games that feature hundreds or thousands of recurring top prizes (e.g., 1,270 to 4,102 top prizes).