Instant Lotteries and Scratch Cards in Asia: How They Work and Where They Are Sold

What instant lotteries and scratch cards are

An instant lottery ticket is a printed ticket with a pre-determined result. You do not wait for a draw. The prize structure is fixed before the tickets go on sale, and the result is already printed under a scratch-off coating or encoded in a barcode. You find out whether you have won within seconds of buying it.

Instant games come in several formats. Some are simple scratch cards where you reveal symbols or numbers. Others, like Instant Bingo and Instant Crossword, use a familiar game format printed on the ticket. These tend to have smaller top prizes but many more winning tickets overall⁶. Some instant tickets carry large top prizes, and in Canada, for example, some reach as high as CAD 2.5 million⁶.

In Asia, instant lottery games are typically sold as part of a national or state-licensed lottery. South Korea issues four types of lottery: online lottery, printed lottery (instant), printed and electronic combined lottery (draw-type), and electronic lottery (draw-type and instant)⁷. Japan sells Scratch tickets at lottery ticket counters, and you choose from the types available at the counter². China's instant lottery games are part of the welfare and sports lottery systems, sold through physical retail outlets.

The key difference from a draw lottery is timing. With a draw game, you buy a ticket, wait for the draw, then check your numbers. With an instant game, the outcome is already decided when you buy. That also means the odds are fixed per ticket, not per draw. If a game prints one top prize in every million tickets, your chance of holding that top prize depends on how many of those tickets were printed and how many remain unsold.

Where they are sold legally in Asia

Instant lottery tickets are sold in several Asian markets, but the rules differ by country and by who you are.

China. Instant welfare and sports lottery tickets are sold only through physical stores⁸. There is no official online channel for buying lottery tickets in China. The China Welfare Lottery Double Color Ball is issued by the China Welfare Lottery Issuance and Administration Center and sold nationwide⁹. Sports lottery games, including instant tickets, are issued and sold by the Sports Lottery Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport¹⁰. Lottery is a state-licensed business, and no unit or individual may issue or sell lottery tickets without state approval¹¹.

Japan. Scratch tickets are sold at lottery ticket counters². You can also buy sports lottery tickets at nearby sports lottery retail kiosks, some of which are lottery counters¹². Online purchase of Takarakuji lottery tickets is limited to individual residents of Japan aged 20 or over¹³. Purchase from overseas is not possible, including for eligible buyers who are temporarily abroad on travel¹³.

Thailand. Government lottery tickets should be bought directly from sales agents with a physical premises, or through the Paotang application, so that prize money is guaranteed³. Quota agents in Bangkok collect tickets at the GLO office at Don Mueang. Provincial quota agents collect at provincial halls or provincial treasury offices. Those who order or book tickets receive them via Thailand Post at post offices nationwide¹⁴.

Philippines. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office runs PCSO Instant Sweepstakes alongside Lotto, Digit Games and Small Town Lottery. PCSO also operates an official online platform, e-Lotto, for buying lotto tickets online⁴.

South Korea. Korea issues printed lottery (instant) tickets as one of its four lottery types⁷. The other types are online lottery, printed and electronic combined lottery (draw-type), and electronic lottery (draw-type and instant)⁷.

Instant tickets sold?: Yes

China's instant welfare and sports lottery games

China runs two separate instant lottery systems: welfare lottery and sports lottery. Both are approved by the Ministry of Finance.

In October 2022, the Ministry of Finance approved the China Welfare Lottery Issuance and Administration Center to print and issue 25 instant welfare lottery games, including "Feichang Youxi"¹⁵. The prize allocation for those games is 65 percent of total sales for prizes, 15 percent for issuance fees and 20 percent for the public welfare fund¹⁵.

Instant sports lottery tickets work differently. The "Fengcai" instant sports lottery ticket was issued by the Sports Lottery Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport, uniformly printed and issued¹. It went on sale in Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Jiangsu, four provinces, with plans to expand nationwide¹.

The prize structure varies by ticket denomination. A 1 yuan Fengcai ticket has 2 winning chances and a top prize of CNY 10,000. A 5 yuan ticket has 9 winning chances and a top prize of CNY 100,000. A 20 yuan ticket has 20 winning chances and a top prize of CNY 1,000,000¹.

Other instant games have different top prizes. A 30 yuan "Haoyun Lai" scratch ticket launched across the Beijing area with a top prize of CNY 800,000¹⁶. Its scratch-coating design elements include "fu" characters, copper coins, lucky bags and gold ingots¹⁶. A "Haoyun Shibei" scratch ticket priced at CNY 10 has a first prize of CNY 400,000¹⁷.

Prizes under CNY 1,000 (inclusive) on Fengcai tickets can be self-claimed by scanning the QR code on the back of the ticket¹.

The Ministry of Finance also approves the withdrawal of games. In October 2024, it approved the Sports Lottery administration center stopping sales of 47 instant sports lottery games, including "Fan Hua Si Jin"¹⁸.

Macau: who runs the lotteries and on what terms

Macau Lottery Company Limited handles football betting in Macau, selecting leagues and setting odds and handicaps⁵. It operates 14 betting centers in Macau, with betting at counters, by telephone or via the internet⁵. Macau casinos are open 24 hours⁵, but the instant lottery is a separate licensed product.

The non-exclusive basis means other operators may be permitted to run lotteries and mutual betting with permission. The concession can be terminated if local staff numbers are not maintained.

If you are visiting Macau, the instant lottery is available through the licensed concession. It is not the same as the casino floor. If you want to know what else is available, see casinos in Macau.

The Philippines: PCSO instant ticket sales and volumes

PCSO also operates e-Lotto, its official online platform for buying lotto tickets online⁴. PCSO has been pushing for a total jackpot prize of 1 billion pesos to generate interest in e-Lotto⁴.

Lotto ticket prices increased from PHP 20 to PHP 25 effective February 2025⁴.

Prize claiming for PCSO lotto prizes works by amount.

• Prizes from PHP 20.00 up to PHP 10,000.00 can be claimed at any authorized PCSO lotto outlet or PCSO branch office.
• Prizes from PHP 10,001.00 up to PHP 300,000.00 must be claimed at a PCSO Branch Office in your area or the PCSO Main Office.
• Prizes of PHP 300,000.01 and above, including the jackpot, must be claimed at the PCSO Main Office on Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City⁴.

If you want to know more about buying PCSO tickets online, see Can You Buy PCSO Lotto Tickets Online?. For ticket prices, see How Much Does a PCSO Lotto Ticket Cost?.

Counterfeit tickets and redemption scams

Counterfeit instant lottery tickets are a real problem. In China, the paper lottery ticket is the only prize redemption voucher¹⁹.

The paper lottery ticket is the only prize redemption voucher in China¹⁹. If the ticket is stained, damaged or otherwise cannot be correctly identified, the prize cannot be redeemed²⁰. The winning ticket is the sole redemption proof, and damaged or illegible tickets cannot be redeemed²¹.

There is also a specific scam to watch for: "Macau Mark Six." This is a fraudulent lottery scheme run by overseas scam groups²². It is not connected to any licensed Macau lottery operator. Genuine Mark Six is a Hong Kong Jockey Club lottery in which winning numbers and a special number are drawn from numbers 1 to 49 inclusive, or from such numbers as the operator may decide and announce²². If someone offers you a "Macau Mark Six" ticket, it is not genuine.

For more on lottery scams, see Lottery Scams in Asia.

How prizes are claimed and what happens to unsold tickets

Prize claiming rules vary by market. Here is how it works in the main Asian markets where instant tickets are sold.

Japan. Winnings of up to 100,000 yen per ticket can be received immediately at lottery ticket counters nationwide. Winnings in excess of 100,000 yen must be claimed at a Mizuho Bank². Scratch lottery prizes are collected at lottery ticket booths or Mizuho Bank, depending on the prize amount²³.

China. Prizes under CNY 1,000 (inclusive) on Fengcai tickets can be self-claimed by scanning the QR code on the back of the ticket¹. Lottery prizes in China are payable only in RMB, not in other currencies, not in kind, and not in installments²⁴. Tickets not redeemed within the validity period are treated as abandoned prizes and go into the public welfare fund²⁰.

Thailand. If tickets are not all sold, the prize money for each prize is reduced proportionally²⁵. Winners of the Thai charity lottery have the right to claim prize money within 10 years from the lottery draw date, after which the money goes to state revenue²⁵. If a ticket is damaged but the code can be read, or the ticket is clearly proven to be a winning ticket, the prize can be paid. Bring it to the office for verification before 14:00²⁶. Lost tickets must be reported before the draw of that draw period²⁶.

Hong Kong. Prizes or refunds not claimed within 60 days of the draw date are forfeited²⁷. Lottery tickets must not be folded²⁷.

Canada (for comparison). For prizes under CAD 1,000, take your signed ticket to a participating retailer who can verify it at the Lottery Terminal⁶. You can also scan the barcode using the ticket checker at an authorized retailer or the app⁶.

If you have accidentally scratched the wrong area, a win is still a win. The barcode on every ticket can be scanned to confirm it⁶.

For more on claiming prizes, see How to Claim a Lottery Prize in Asia. For lost or damaged tickets, see Lost, Torn or Damaged Lottery Tickets.

What the rules do not cover

Instant lottery rules cover the ticket, the prize structure and the claim process. They do not cover everything you might expect.

Lottery tickets do not return principal and do not pay interest²⁸. You are buying a chance to win, not an investment.

In China, lottery tickets may not be sold or prizes paid to minors¹⁰. Paying prizes to minors is prohibited²⁸. ID may be requested where age is unclear²⁴. The same rule applies to sports lottery games: sale and prize redemption to minors is prohibited²¹.

Issuing any other lottery is prohibited without State Council franchise, and issuing or selling foreign lotteries within China is prohibited²⁸.

What the rules do not cover is the secondary market. There is no official resale market for instant lottery tickets. If you buy a ticket from someone other than an authorized seller, you have no guarantee that the ticket is genuine or that the prize will be paid. In Thailand, the advice is to buy only directly from sales agents with a physical premises or through the Paotang application so prize money is guaranteed³.

They also do not cover tickets bought outside the licensed system. If you buy a scratch ticket from an unlicensed seller, or from a website that is not an official lottery operator, you are outside the system that guarantees payment.

For more on where to buy tickets, see Where to Buy Lottery Tickets in Asia. For how lotteries work more broadly, see How Lotteries Work.