If someone who worked at a liquor store and gas station said that they knew the trick behind picking out a winning lottery ticket, the first question that would probably pop into your head is: Well, why are they still working at a liquor store and gas station instead of zip-lining into a golden ball pit surrounded by escorts in a Monaco suite?
While it’s unknown as to whether or not TikToker Alexander Rosas (@alexcal760) is secretly a lottery multi-millionaire who has used his esoteric knowledge of picking winning cards to rack up a sizable investment portfolio and only works at a liquor store and gas station because he loves it, he does claim to have the low down on which tickets folks should buy if they want to win some money on scratch offs.
Rosas says that between the two jobs he works at: a liquor store and a gas station, where he splits his time between two separate, eight-hour shifts a day since 2009, there are a few things he’s noticed in his “experience” during this time when it comes to lottery “scratcher” winners. (In fact, he’s not the first person at a gas station who claims to know the secret behind picking lottery winners, either.)
How to pick winning scratch off tickets
Rosas says that from what he’s seen from folks buying $1 scratch-off tickets that the most he’s ever seen people win was $10 or $15 on average.
When it comes to $2 tickets Rosas has one word of advice: Don’t buy them.
According to the gas station and liquor store worker, these are the cards that end up losing “the most,” and when it comes to $3 tickets he says that it “all depends.”
“The good ones that I’ve seen are like the ones that are like crosswords, bingos, those are pretty good…the most I’ve seen it pay out $20, $25 but usually they’re just more for like, fun… and also, if you’re gonna buy some, don’t buy one here, one there, one here, one there,” he says, suggesting that a variegated, shotgun approach to purchasing different scratch-off tickets really isn’t the way to go about securing a winner.
He says that buying “multiple” scratch offs from the “same book” is the way to ensure that you’re going to get closer to the promised land of the Winner’s Circle, instead of packing your bags with your head sunk low between your shoulders as you scrape your kicks on the pavement of Loser’s Lane.
“I recommend buying the same ticket, as many times as you want, but just buy them in the same roll,” he said.
He then gave his opinion of $5 tickets and had a few caveats: Right off the bat he warns people against buying “the Poker ones” stating that he’s never seen anyone walk away a winner after scratching one of these bad boys and if he has it was only for $5 or $15.
Rosas went on to say that if you’re trying to make some money with $5 scratch-offs, then you should probably opt for “holiday” themed ones, which he speculates come with larger payouts because the companies that print these tickets are trying to give folks more money in the spirit of the holiday season.
He says picking ones that say “win $500 or $1,000 or win $100 or $200,” before turning his camera over to show off exactly what type of cards he’s referring to.
The example he gave was a $500 Loaded scratch card offered by the California State Lottery. He says that with these all-or-nothing cards he’s seen people win big. On the flip side of that coin, he gave another warning: “I do not recommend…Loteria. I know a bunch of Mexicans are gonna come for me, they’re all gonna be like oh my parent, my uncle, my tio, my tia, mi abuelito… every relative ‘Oh they won off the Loteria.’ No, I do not recommend the Loteria at all. I’ve seen people buy, Mexicans they buy them in three, four, five, six, seven, 10, and usually they always come back with one, and they only win, like, a, one ticket.”
According to Rosas, when it comes to the Loteria cards, from what he’s seen, the odds really aren’t in the player’s favor.
Toward the end of his clip he had another bit of advice: If folks are going to purchase the $1, $2, $3, or $5 scratch-off cards, they should “always buy in multiple.”
The TikToker also recommended asking the cashier which number card is on the roll they’re purchasing, stating that the first four cards on the roll are seldom winners. He also says that “buying a whole roll” is never worth it and if you win a ticket from a scratch off, usually the next card in that scratch-off is another winner.
@alexcal760 #fypシ #scratchoffticket #lotteryscratchers #lotterychallenge #fypシ ♬ original sound – Alexander Rosas
One commenter who responded to his video agreed with his assessment of purchasing entire rolls: “Someone bought a brand new roll and got half their money. They spent $600…” they penned. While another person remarked that although they have pretty good odds of winning when it comes to Loteria low pay, Rosas says that the payouts are mostly designed to keep people coming back to play again rather than giving them a good amount of money in one go.
The biggest tips in the comments section of his video came from a user who referenced a follow-up video Rosas made about pricier lottery cards. Apparently, the best ones to buy are the $10 ones, and that looking for the white perforation line is the key to walking away with a “W” and some money in your pocket: “You Are Correct !!!!!! $10 Tickets Are The Way To Go & Especially If A White Line Perferation Marker Is There – More Than 50% Winners !!!!!!!”
To which Rosas replied: “thank you I’ve been telling people, but they don’t wanna listen to me.”
One YouTuber tested the white perforated line theory in a video and they ended up getting a matching number on a $30 scratch off. While it wasn’t a huge win, it was still a win nonetheless. Another YouTube account, Lotto Life, also texted the white perforated line theory and purchased two tickets connected by said line. One one of the cards they scratched they also landed a matching number, securing themselves $10 on a $2 scratch-off. On the card with the actual line attached to it, she didn’t manage to secure any winning numbers, but was still ahead $6 after doubling up on the purchase of the $2 scratch-off tickets.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rosas via TikTok comment and the California State Lottery via email for further information.
