Scratchcards are instant-win games: you buy a card, reveal what is underneath and see straight away whether it pays. Players searching for scratchcards at William Hill are usually comparing the formats and checking how a card works before they play.
Common scratchcard formats
Online scratchcards come in a few common formats. Match games pay when a set number of identical symbols appear. Number games compare your numbers against a winning set. Others reveal a grid of hidden boxes, each holding a prize or a blank. Many titles take the theme of a well-known slot or board game, with the same look but different rules from the original.
The variants table above shows the titles and studios listed for this category. Scratchcards are made by many providers, so the rules, prizes and look differ from card to card. Check what William Hill lists for scratchcards before you choose one, and open the game's own information to see its prizes.
How a card plays
You pick a stake, buy the card and reveal its symbols one by one or all at once. The prize is set by what the card shows, and each game states its own winning combinations. Some cards add a bonus box or a multiplier, which is explained in that game's rules.
The result is fixed by a random number generator when the card is bought, so scratching slowly or quickly makes no difference. A card is also independent of the last one, so a run of losing cards does not make the next one more likely to pay. Because every card is random, no pattern or system can improve the odds.
Two things are worth reading on every card. The prize table lists each prize and the symbols that earn it, and the game information gives the return to player, which describes the long-run average across all players rather than what any one card will do.
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RNG games, not live tables
Scratchcards are RNG games with no dealer, so each round is quick and the pace is yours. That is different from the dealer-led rounds on a live casino table, where a studio host runs each round on a timer.
Practical points
Read the prize table before you buy a card, and choose a stake you are comfortable losing. Rounds are fast, so a deposit limit set in advance does more than good intentions. If you play on a phone, the mobile version page covers what to expect.
