Custom Scratch Off Cards vs. Scratch Off Raffle Tickets: Which Is Right for Your Promotion?

Scratch off promotions can take several different forms, and choosing the right format can make a big difference in how your campaign looks, feels and functions.

Two of the most versatile options from My Scratch Offs are Custom Scratch Off Cards and Custom Raffle Scratch Off Tickets. Both let you hide a message beneath a scratch off area. Both can be professionally branded for your business, organization or event. And both create the interactive scratch-and-reveal experience that makes a promotion more memorable. The biggest difference is the format of the printed piece and how you plan to use it.

So which one should you choose? Here is how custom scratch off cards and scratch off raffle tickets compare, along with examples of when each format works best.

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What Is a Custom Scratch Off Card?

A custom scratch off card is a professionally printed promotional card with one or more messages concealed beneath a scratch off area.  The card itself becomes part of the marketing.

Depending on the campaign, it can include your:

• Logo
• Brand colors
• Offer or promotion
• Event details
• Instructions
• Website
• QR code
• Contact information
• Sponsor information
• Terms or redemption details

The hidden area can reveal a discount, prize, reward, promotional code, message or other information.  Because custom scratch off cards are available in several card and postcard-style formats, they give you plenty of room to communicate before and after the recipient scratches.  That makes them especially useful for promotions where the entire card needs to tell a story or deliver a marketing message.

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What Is a Custom Raffle Scratch Off Ticket?

A Custom Raffle Scratch Off Ticket uses a longer, narrower ticket-style format instead of a traditional card shape.

My Scratch Offs' custom raffle scratch off ticket is designed in a 2 × 5.5 inch format with a scratch off area incorporated into the custom design.

The result looks and feels more like an event or raffle ticket while still providing the immediate scratch-and-reveal experience.

This format works especially well when you want recipients to immediately recognize the piece as a ticket, entry, fundraiser item or event promotion.

Instead of waiting for someone to draw a number later, however, the hidden information can be revealed right on the ticket.

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Custom Scratch Off Cards vs. Scratch Off Raffle Tickets

The main difference is not how they work.

Both products use the same basic concept: scratch to reveal hidden information.

The real difference is how the printed piece will be used.

Neither is inherently better.

The best choice depends on what you need the printed piece to accomplish.

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Choose Custom Scratch Off Cards When You Need More Marketing Space

For most business promotions, the traditional custom scratch off card gives you the greatest flexibility. The card can do much more than simply conceal a prize. It can explain the promotion, reinforce your branding and tell the customer exactly what to do next.

For example, a custom card could say:

Thank You for Your Business!

Then underneath:

Scratch to Reveal Your Reward

The hidden message might reveal:

• 10% off your next purchase
• Free appetizer
• Free upgrade
• $5 off
• Free gift
• Special promotional code
• VIP reward

The rest of the card can explain how and when the offer can be redeemed. That additional space is extremely valuable for marketing campaigns.

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Custom Scratch Off Cards Work Well for Customer Appreciation

One of the strongest uses for custom scratch off cards is customer appreciation.

Businesses can include them:

• Inside shipped orders
• At checkout
• With invoices
• In direct mail
• At grand openings
• During anniversary promotions
• In customer thank-you packages
• At trade shows
• During seasonal campaigns

Instead of handing every customer another standard coupon, you give them something to interact with. They have to scratch the card to discover their reward. That small action creates curiosity and makes the offer feel more like an experience.

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Custom Scratch Off Cards Work Well for Multiple Offers

A scratch off promotion does not necessarily have to reveal the same message on every card. Different cards can be created with different hidden messages or promotional variations.

For example, a retail promotion might include:

• 10% off
• 15% off
• 20% off
• Free gift
• Special grand prize

A restaurant could reveal:

• Free appetizer
• Free dessert
• Free beverage
• Percentage discount
• Buy one, get one offer

That flexibility makes custom scratch off cards especially useful for promotions designed to drive repeat visits or purchases.

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Choose Scratch Off Raffle Tickets When the Ticket Format Matters

There are campaigns where a long ticket simply makes more sense. The ticket format immediately communicates:

This is an entry.

or

This is part of an event.

or

Something is going to be revealed.

That makes the Custom Raffle Scratch Off Ticket especially useful for fundraisers, events, promotional contests and campaigns where the appearance of a ticket is part of the concept.

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Scratch Off Raffle Tickets Work Well for Fundraisers

Imagine a school, nonprofit, booster club or community organization distributing fundraiser tickets. Instead of a plain numbered ticket, participants receive a branded scratch off ticket. They scratch the covered area and immediately reveal the result. Depending on how the fundraiser is structured, the hidden area could contain:

• A prize
• A sponsor offer
• A donation amount
• A special message
• A redemption
• Another campaign result

The ticket format keeps the familiar fundraiser feel while adding an interactive reveal.

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Scratch Off Raffle Tickets Work Well for Events

The elongated format also works naturally for event-based promotions.

For example:

• Grand openings
• Company events
• Employee appreciation
• School events
• Nonprofit events
• Fundraisers
• Trade shows
• Promotional contests
• Community events

The piece feels like an event ticket rather than a postcard or coupon. That distinction can be useful when the campaign needs to feel like something recipients have been given or admitted into, rather than simply another advertisement.

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What About Employee Rewards?

Both formats can work. A larger custom scratch off card is useful when you want room for a strong recognition message, company branding and the reward itself.

For example:

You're a Star Teammate!

with a hidden employee reward underneath. A raffle-style ticket may work better for an employee contest, company event or drawing-style promotion where the ticket shape is part of the experience. The goal should determine the format. For straightforward employee appreciation, I would generally choose the custom scratch off card because it gives you more space for the recognition message. For an employee event or contest, the scratch off raffle ticket may be more appropriate.

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Which Format Is Better for Business Promotions?

For most business marketing campaigns, I would start with a Custom Scratch Off Card. Why? Because businesses usually need space to communicate more than just the hidden offer.

You may need to tell customers:

• What they received
• Why they received it
• What they should scratch
• What they won
• How to redeem it
• When it expires
• Where to use it
• What to do next

A card or postcard-style format gives you more room to accomplish all of that. The scratch off raffle ticket becomes the stronger choice when the ticket appearance itself adds something meaningful to the promotion.

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Which Format Is Better for Fundraising?

This depends more on the fundraiser.

Choose a custom scratch off card when:

You need more space to explain the organization, fundraising campaign, sponsors or instructions.

Choose a scratch off raffle ticket when:

You want the fundraiser to look and feel like a ticket-based event or promotion. For some organizations, the raffle ticket format may instantly feel more familiar to supporters.

For others, a larger scratch off card may provide much more useful space to communicate why they are raising money.

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Which Format Is Better for Direct Mail?

Usually the Custom Scratch Off Card.

Direct mail needs to capture attention quickly while also explaining the offer.

A larger card gives you space for:

• A headline
• Brand imagery
• The scratch off area
• Redemption instructions
• Offer restrictions
• Contact information
• Website or QR code

The recipient gets both the marketing message and the interactive reveal in one piece. A scratch off raffle ticket can still work in direct mail, particularly if the creative concept revolves around receiving a special ticket. But for most direct-mail campaigns, the card format offers greater flexibility.

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Which Format Is Better for Trade Shows?

Both can work extremely well.

A custom scratch off card works when you want visitors to take home a branded promotional piece with additional information about your company.

A scratch off raffle ticket works when you want to create a quick booth activity.

For example:

Visit our booth. Get your ticket. Scratch to reveal your offer.

That kind of simple interaction can make the raffle-ticket format particularly effective at an event.

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Which Format Gives You More Design Flexibility?

Custom scratch off cards.

My Scratch Offs offers several standard custom card formats, including:

• 2 × 3.5 inch business card
• 3 × 4 inch mini postcard
• 3 × 5 inch card
• 4 × 6 inch postcard
• 5 × 7 inch card

That gives you considerably more freedom to choose the amount of space your promotion requires. The 2 × 5.5 inch Custom Raffle Scratch Off Ticket is intentionally more specialized. Its long format is what gives it the recognizable ticket appearance.

So if your priority is maximum design and messaging flexibility, choose a custom scratch off card.

If your priority is the ticket presentation, choose the scratch off raffle ticket.

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Both Options Can Be Fully Branded

Whichever format you choose, your campaign does not need to look generic. Custom scratch off products can incorporate your business or organization's branding, artwork and promotional message.

My Scratch Offs custom projects can also include:

• Full or partial design assistance
• Digital proofs
• Full-color printing
• Scratch off application
• Multiple promotional variations when applicable

The standard custom production timeline is 14 business days after the required design information has been received, with rush options available for an additional cost.

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A Simple Way to Decide

Ask yourself one question:

Do I want this to look like a marketing card or a ticket?

If the answer is:

A marketing card

Choose Custom Scratch Off Cards.

You will have more space for branding, instructions, offers and calls to action.

A ticket

Choose a Custom Raffle Scratch Off Ticket.

You still get the scratch-and-reveal experience, but the recipient immediately recognizes the piece as a ticket.

For most campaigns, that one question will point you toward the right product.

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What About a Traditional Raffle Ticket?

There is still one more option: the standard raffle ticket. Traditional raffle tickets usually work differently from both scratch off formats. With a standard raffle ticket, the participant generally receives a numbered entry and waits for a later drawing. That makes traditional raffle tickets perfectly appropriate when the drawing itself is the main event.

For example:

A school sells raffle tickets all month and draws a winner during its annual fundraiser. There may be no need for an immediate reveal at all. In that situation, the suspense comes from waiting for the drawing.

Scratch off products serve a different purpose: they allow the participant to interact with the printed piece and reveal hidden information themselves.

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The Bottom Line: Three Formats, Three Different Experiences

When deciding between a custom scratch off card, scratch off raffle ticket and traditional raffle ticket, think about the experience you want to create.

Custom Scratch Off Card

Best when:
You want the most room for branding, promotional messaging and instructions.

Ideal for:
Customer appreciation, direct mail, business promotions, trade shows, employee rewards, loyalty campaigns, grand openings and marketing campaigns.

Scratch Off Raffle Ticket

Best when:
You want an immediate scratch off reveal but also want the recognizable appearance of a ticket.

Ideal for:
Fundraisers, events, promotional contests, employee events, school activities and ticket-themed campaigns.

Traditional Raffle Ticket

Best when:
Participants should receive an entry and wait for a later drawing.

Ideal for:
Traditional raffles, prize drawings and fundraising events where anticipation of the final drawing is part of the experience. There is no single format that is right for every campaign. The important question is when you want the excitement to happen. If you want the recipient to reveal something immediately, choose a scratch off format. Then decide whether your campaign works better as a card or a ticket.

And if the excitement should come from waiting for a drawing, the traditional raffle ticket still has its place. My Scratch Offs has been helping businesses, schools, nonprofits and organizations create memorable scratch off promotions since 2008.

Create it. Reveal it. Make it memorable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are scratch off cards the same as raffle tickets?

No. Traditional raffle tickets usually provide an entry into a drawing held later. Scratch off cards conceal information underneath a scratchable area and can be designed to reveal a prize, offer, message, code or other information immediately.

Can scratch off cards be used for fundraisers?

Yes. Schools, nonprofits, sports teams, churches and community organizations can use scratch off cards for donation reveals, prizes, sponsor offers and other fundraising campaigns.

Can I create a scratch off raffle ticket?

Yes. My Scratch Offs offers custom raffle scratch off tickets that combine a ticket-style format with a hidden scratch off reveal.

Can custom scratch off cards have different prizes?

Yes. A custom promotion can include multiple hidden-message variations so different cards reveal different prizes, offers, discounts or messages. You get to choose the amount of cards per variation. 

Are custom scratch off cards only for fundraisers?

No. Businesses also use them for customer appreciation, grand openings, direct mail, trade shows, loyalty campaigns, product launches, giveaways and employee rewards.

How long do custom scratch off cards take to produce?

My Scratch Offs uses a standard 14-business-day production timeline after the required design information and approvals are received. Rush options may be available when needed.