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Scratch & Win

The Instant Ticket

Scratch & Win

GBH News

History

51.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Part 1: It’s 1974, illegal bookies are everywhere and the brand new state lottery is struggling to compete. But a simple piece of paper is about to change the game forever: the nation’s first scratch ticket. 

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Credits:

Host and scriptwriter: Ian Coss

Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins

Producers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss

Story Editor: Lacy Roberts

Editorial Advisor: Jenifer McKim

Fact Checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel Hibbard

Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian Coss

Project Manager: Meiqian He

Graphic Design: Bill Miller


Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Support for Scratch and Win comes from MIT Federal Credit Union, helping members navigate their earning options with high-yield savings accounts.

0:09.5

Membership information at MITFCU.org, federally insured by NCUA.

0:17.5

Joe's Market in Quincy is one of the busiest lottery retailers in Massachusetts.

0:23.6

It has all your convenience store staples, but the area behind the counter is dominated by scratch tickets.

0:32.6

At least 50 different clear plastic boxes, all numbered, and all dangling colorful tickets.

0:39.9

Oh, here.

0:40.4

Here's another guy you want to talk to.

0:42.0

Come over here.

0:42.9

Maybe five steps away from the counter at the back of the store is a little nook, a TV, a folding table, a waste basket, and a swiveling desk chair.

0:52.5

I know it sounds like I'm describing an office,

0:55.7

but it's more like a very modest lounge for the regular lottery players. Could I ask you a few

1:01.3

questions for the podcast? Sure. So what are you playing right now? I play a $50 every day.

1:08.1

Have you won yet? So far out has spent 300 bucks on the bucket. There's nothing.

1:12.9

What this man is playing

1:14.5

is the state's brand new

1:16.2

$50 scratch ticket.

1:18.4

He points at the serial number on the top right

1:20.5

corner to show he's keeping track.

1:23.0

This is ticket number seven

1:24.6

for today. This is number seven.

1:26.3

The other six are in the trash bucket already.

1:29.3

Six, $50 tickets.

...

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