Lotologist

[Alfred] Ricks is a lotologist, one of a growing number of people who collect, study and admire lottery tickets – not for the prizes they promise, but for their art and value as collectors' items.

Star Trek scratch-off tickets are probably the most valuable of all the California games because they are prized by thousands of Trekkies as well as "lotologists."

Held this year in northeast Philadelphia, the gathering is an opportunity to meet other self-described "lotologists," trade tickets and take a gander at the never-ending multitude of collectible material.

Although most lotologists collect scratch tickets that have already been scratched, approximately 15% of lotologists collect unscratched tickets.