Free Lottery Shift Count Sheet (Excel and PDF)

By the Lotto Proof team, who run their own liquor stores · Last updated October 15, 2026

This free lottery shift count sheet records the next ticket number of every scratch-off book (also called a pack) at the start and end of a shift, and works out tickets sold, scratcher sales, and whether the register is over or short. Download the Excel version to have the math done for you, or print the PDF and fill it in by hand. Both cover racks of up to 64 bins.

Download

The one number to write down

Don't count tickets. For each book, write down the number printed on the next ticket to be sold. The difference between the start and end numbers is what sold. The only thing to know first is which way your store's ticket numbers run:

Working out tickets sold from the next ticket numberIn a store where ticket numbers count down, the start next ticket is 007 and the end next ticket is 003, so 4 tickets sold: start minus end. In a store where they count up, the start is 002 and the end is 006, so 4 tickets sold: end minus start.Numbers count down009008007006005004003002001000Start: next is 007End: next is 003Tickets sold = start − end = 7 − 3 = 4Numbers count up000001002003004005006007008009Start: next is 002End: next is 006Tickets sold = end − start = 6 − 2 = 4Sold beforeSold this shiftStill in the book
Simplified 10-ticket book. Real books hold many more tickets, but the math is the same. Set your store's ticket order once on the count sheet.

How to use the sheet

  1. Set the ticket order once. Pick Descending or Ascending at the top of the sheet; the formulas follow it.
  2. At the start of the shift, fill in a row for each book: bin, game, price, book number, tickets per book, and the next ticket to be sold. Carry the book numbers forward from the last sheet so you only write the ticket number.
  3. At the end of the shift, write the next ticket number again.
  4. New or sold-out books: mark a book put out during the shift as New and leave its start blank. Mark a book that sold out as Sold out, leave its end blank, and put its replacement on a new row.
  5. Close the shift. Enter the scratch-off sales rung up at the register. The sheet shows the difference. Both cashiers sign.

A worked example

Here is one complete shift in a store where numbers count down, with a book that sold out and its replacement:

A worked example of one shift on the count sheetExample shift in a store where ticket numbers count down. Bin 1, $10, start 24, end 19: 5 sold, $50. Bin 2, $5, start 52, end 40: 12 sold, $60. Bin 3, $20, start 4, sold out: 5 sold, $100. Its replacement, a new 30-ticket $20 book, ended at 26: 3 sold, $60. Bin 4, $1, start 140, end 101: 39 sold, $39. Counted sales $309, register $299, so the shift is $10 short: one $10 ticket.BinPriceStartEndNoteSoldSales1$100240195$502$505204012$603$20004—Sold out5$1003$20—026New book (30)3$604$114010139$39Scratch-off sales counted$309Rung up at the register$299Short $10= one $10 ticket: start with bin 1Total sold64 tickets
Example shift, numbers counting down. A sold-out book sold every ticket from its start number down to 000 (start + 1). A new 30-ticket book starts at 029.

Edge cases

  • A book moved to another bin: keep it on its original row and note the new bin. Tickets sold come from the book, not the bin.
  • A damaged or void ticket: it left the book but wasn't sold. Note it with the ticket number and keep the ticket for the lottery rep.
  • A whole book sold to a customer: it never goes in the rack. Log it separately with the book number and price so it isn't mistaken for a missing book.
  • A book pulled for return: write down its next ticket number when you pull it, so the return can be checked against it.
  • A ticket number that goes the wrong way: the count went backwards. It is a misread or a swapped book. Recount that bin before anyone leaves.

Reading the result

  • Short by exactly one ticket price: often a register mistake, like a ticket scanned twice or rung at the wrong price, rather than a missing ticket.
  • A book on the last sheet but not this one: it sold out, was returned, or is missing. Find out which before the shift ends.
  • Short on the same shift again and again: see how to catch scratch-off theft.

For the full handover routine around the sheet, see the scratch-off shift change procedure.

How Lotto Proof handles this

A sheet works if it is filled in carefully at every shift change. In practice it takes time, it gets skipped on busy nights, one wrong digit throws off the total, and the owner only sees it when someone sends a photo. Nothing on a sheet proves the books were actually counted. Lotto Proof replaces the sheet with a handheld scanner: the cashier scans every book, the math is automatic, each book's scan is saved with a time, and the owner sees the shift and any missing book the same day.

Time to count the scratcher rack at shift changeMedian full-rack scan time was 32 seconds for a 32-bin rack and 2 minutes 9 seconds for a 64-bin rack, across 1,072 scans. Counting the same racks by hand typically takes 15 to 45 minutes.0153045Minutes per shift changeScanner, 32-bin rack32 secScanner, 64-bin rack2 min 9 secCounting by hand15–45 min
Scanner times: median of 1,072 full-rack scans at our own two stores, March to October 2026, first barcode to last. Hand-count range is the typical time retailers report.

Lotto Proof is a handheld scratch-off scanner with an owner dashboard: $39.99/month per location, scanner included (pricing). Start a 30-day free trial, or talk to us first.

Frequently asked questions

What should a lottery shift count sheet include?

One row per book in the rack: bin, game, ticket price, book number, tickets per book, and the next ticket to be sold at the start and end of the shift. From those you get tickets sold and sales per book. At the bottom: total scratch-off sales counted, what was rung up at the register, the difference, and both cashiers' signatures.

How do I calculate tickets sold from a scratch-off count?

Write down the number of the next ticket to be sold in each book at the start and end of the shift. If ticket numbers count down as they sell, tickets sold is start minus end; if they count up, it is end minus start. For a book that sold out, it is every ticket that was left at the start of the shift.

Is there a free lottery count sheet in Excel?

Yes. The Excel sheet on this page is free, works for racks up to 64 bins, and calculates tickets sold, sales, and over/short automatically. Set the ticket order once for your store and it handles books that are new or sold out during the shift.

How long does a lottery shift count take?

Counting by hand typically takes 15 to 45 minutes per shift, depending on the size of the rack and whether one or two people do it. Numbering the bins, counting in a fixed order, and using a sheet that does the math all make it faster.

Related guides