# What do those squiggly lines on lottery tickets do?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-squiggly-lines-on-lottery-tickets-do/663859
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 18, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-squiggly-lines-on-lottery-tickets-do/663859 "2013-07-18T16:17:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-squiggly-lines-on-lottery-tickets-do/663859/1 "2013-07-18T16:17:16Z")
Though I assume they’re some kind of security measure, the squiggly lines on CA lottery tickets are too widely spaced apart to seem like an effective security defense against people trying to x-ray or look through the paper for winners. What is their purpose?
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-squiggly-lines-on-lottery-tickets-do/663859/2 "2013-07-19T03:22:42Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#):
>
> Though I assume they’re some kind of security measure, the squiggly lines on CA lottery tickets are too widely spaced apart to seem like an effective security defense against people trying to x-ray or look through the paper for winners. What is their purpose?
Make it hard for someone (eg store owners son) to remove the scratch off material,
to find winning tickets, and then put a replacement layer back on top.