[danielf]

We once had a function at work, and for a laugh we purchased a scatch card for every staff member. I believe we bought about 150 scratch cards and the total 'winnings' was about 40% of what we paid for the cards.

Now I know this is how it works, and as you buy larger quantities, the percentage of winnings is more likely to approximate the payout percentage, but it still was a bit of an eye opener. I stopped buying scratch cards after that...