Flaming 7s (Lotto Scratch Ticket Review)

I'm new to the world of casual gambling, so when I first walked up to the scratchers display at the nearby pharmacy, I found it bewildering.

A wide array of tickets spread out before me, priced from a reasonable $2 all the way to $30 (as if the lotto was for people who already won the million). 

There were a few familiar choices - I remembered Set For Life and its promise of endless payouts until you croak and I'm pretty sure I'd scratched a crossword ticket for my mom sometime in the distant past - but most of them just found a way to splash a big number at the top to entice us poor saps.

Where's a newbie supposed to start?

Do I play it safe with a crossword-themed one? Do I follow my heart and grab a bingo scratcher in memory of my bingo-obsessed grandmother? What's the difference between the 2X Blitz, 5X Blitz, and 10X Blitz?

How can I even pick when there's a line forming and the cashier is already waiting for me to tap my debit card and hurry out with my allergy meds? 

But through all that sensory overload, one ticket stood out to me over all the others.

When I'd scan the offerings, my eyes kept coming back to the same stack of tickets, over and over: Flaming 7s.

 

That red-hot inferno of potential payouts was like the tiny oasis of calm in that vast display. The only choice that felt obvious.

So as soon as I worked up the nerve to get ask for some tickets with my over-the-counter medications, I pointed my finger to the bold and fiery Flaming 7s ticket without hesitation.

 

The Appeal

So what makes this ticket so darn sexy?

First and foremost, you've got that simple but eye-catching flame-licked design, with a bold 7 sporting the exact same design I've seen on shirts worn by the least trustworthy 28 year olds I've ever encountered.

Here comes trouble

The price is a definite draw - at $2 a play, a guy like me can easily talk himself into buying multiples (which, incidentally, is the trick to winning).

It also boasts the possibility of winning up to four times per card, which is just the kind of thing that will have me dropping toonies on the Jean Coutu counter like I got jump scared.

Potential Payouts

The prize scheme has a nice thematic unity as well. Your lower tiers are standards stuff - $2 to break even, $5 to talk yourself into buying two more tickets, $30 to make you hem and haw about whether you should cash out or double down... right up until the top three prizes, where it flips to a lucky numbers theme:

Three 7s = $777

Three money bags = $7,777

Three flames = $17,777 

Those payouts aren't huge, I guess. But that's fine because I live with the nagging feeling that I don't fully deserve a $10million payday, so at least this feels accessible. Not the kind of winning that would pay off my mortgage or set me up for life, but it would give me the breathing room I need to fix my broken shed door and finish painting my basement. That's the kind of money a guy like me can aim for without having to feel too haughty about it.

I plan to keep dabbling and trying other scratchers, but I can't deny the chemistry I was feeling with this game. I'll play the field some more, but in my heart, I'm a Flaming 7s guy.

 

The Gameplay

Flaming 7s is a simple slot-style game: there are ten rows to scratch, each with three symbols to uncover. Uncover three identical symbols in any single row and you win one of the prizes. 

And as mentioned before, you might get up to four wins on a single card, so that's anywhere from $8 to - well, I'm guessing $17,777 because I suspect they wouldn't print a card with multiple sets of triple flames.

In terms of playtime, it's modest. Compared to the search-and-find ones like crossword puzzle or bingo scratchers, you get through each game very rapidly. But still, it can take two or three minutes, which isn't too shabby for two bucks.

My only real gripe with this is the fruit. The lemons and oranges look too similar for my liking. I don't mind the disappointment of being shown two money bags before uncovering a cherry and coming up empty. But thinking I've made $30 only to realize that one of my oranges is really a lemon feels more like getting wedgied by the ALC.

I'd like to speak to the manager

Total Wins and Losses

So far, I've purchased and played a grand total of four (4) Flaming 7s.

That's a risky gamble, because the chances of winning are listed as 1 in 4.52, so I had stacked the odds against me on this one.

But I don't call myself Mr. Lucky Duck for nothing. So while two cards came up empty, I managed to get three different rows of cherries on the other two.

That's $6 - just shy of breaking even (aka the lotto scratcher's payday).

No big wins yet, but that seals the deal. I'll be going back for more of these and with any luck, I'll uncover one of those 7-themed prizes. Or get so angry at all the orange/lemon fakeouts that I rage quit and go buy a few Set For Life tickets just so I remember what hope feels like.

Either way, I'll keep you posted.