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Fact no. 97981238 about me: I’m pretty unlucky. I’ve always thought it came with the territory of being born on the Ides of March, but lately I’m starting to wonder what grievances I’ve committed in a former life. Not really. But I was talking about the lottery the other day and the light bulb moment happened. So if you ever wanted to know indispensable information about scratch-off games, today is YOUR lucky day. Aren’t you special? Of course you are. Everyone is. If any of you special people are having a light bulb kind of day and you have a question to share with me, send it here.

Question: What’s that scratch-off gunk that eventually ends up in my mouth after I use my fingernails to try to scratch my way to fortune?

Answer: That’s the yummy taste of latex.

Yep, that’s a thin layer of latex serving as the main obstacle between you and millions. Latex sensitive? Maybe you shouldn’t use your teeth or fingernails. Use your dog’s nails. It’s fun for the whole family. And that’s all I’m going to say because we have so much more to cover here.

Question: When did the first scratch-off game start in Louisiana?

Answer: More than 15 years ago.

Louisiana Treasures launched Sept. 6, 1991, with 50 million tickets, a series of five different Louisiana scenes and a top instant prize of $5,000. The game closed Jan. 31, 1992, and also featured a $250,000 second-chance drawing for non-winners. If you have one of these tickets, you might have an historical treasure. Harhar.

Question: How long do scratch-offs stay in rotation?

Answer: Depends.

Louisiana Lottery scratch-offs have an average lifespan of about nine months, depending on the quantity printed and sales levels. As a matter of policy, the Louisiana Lottery ends sales of a scratch-off game when all top prizes in that game are claimed, regardless of sales. Games are also evaluated against a 12-week sales average to determine which games have performed exceptionally well, as sales are highest in the first 12 weeks and then stabilize before tapering off toward the end of their lifecycle. The Louisiana Lottery also analyzes games to determine the effect of game attributes including top prize, prize structure, price, colors and themes, all so they tweak upcoming games. Four new scratch-off games are launched roughly every five weeks. So if you’ve been timing your bathing schedule based on the introduction of new scratch-off games, you should probably rethink that plan.

Question: Where do the ideas come from?

Answer: Not me.

Four printers in the United States are responsible for the scratch-offs, who have the technology and security necessary for production. For lack of better diction on my part, they make “catalogs” of trademarked and non-trademarked games available for purchase by state lotteries. States share play style and graphic ideas with one another, but the Louisiana Lottery has an in-house graphic team who develops the seasonal Louisiana-themed scratch offs. No word on how you can get that job.

Question: Which scratch-off is the most popular?

Answer: Think a minute.

With between 40 and 50 scratch-offs available at any time, that’s nearly impossible to answer. But I’ll try. The highest selling scratch-offs last week were Lucky 7’s ($1) and Chili Days and Chili Nights ($5), both of which launched Jan. 2. Measured over the lifespan of a game, some of the most successful games have been crawfish and Mardi Gras themed games. I mean, those are the ones you always buy, aren’t they?

Question: What are the odds of winning?

Answer: Haha.

I’m not even going to try this one out, but the Louisiana Lottery’s Web site here lists all prize tiers, odds of winning, number of winning tickets in each prize tier and number of those yet to be claimed for each scratch-off available. So you tackle that monster on your own.

Enormous kudos to Kimberly Chopin at the Louisiana Lottery for scratching beyond the surface of these questions!