If you’ve been wondering how to play Powerball, you’ve come to the right place. Powerball is easy to play. And there are MILLIONS of good reasons to get in the game.
Powerball Lottery Overview
Powerball is a multi-state lottery game that’s available in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Cost: $2.00
Powerball Jackpots: Start at $20 million and are determined by ticket sales
Drawings: Mondays, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET
Overall odds of winning: 1 in 24.9
Biggest Powerball jackpot in history: $2.04 billion (November 2022)
Last jackpot won: The last Powerball jackpot was won in Ohio on July 4, 2024.
How to Play Powerball
So how does Powerball work? You start by picking your Powerball numbers! Choose 5 regular numbers from 1–69 and 1 red Powerball number from 1–26. You can use the Quick Pick option or choose your own lucky numbers. If you were wondering how to win Powerball, hitting the jackpot means matching all 5 numbers (in any order) plus the Powerball.
Can you play Powerball online?
Yes! Looking for a Powerball app? Lottery fans in 16 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico can order tickets for Powerball online plus other games in their location using a lottery app.
What is the Powerball Power Play?
For an extra $1 per game, you can add the Powerball Power Play to your ticket. This multiplies your prize — not including the jackpot — by up to ten times. The multiplier number is drawn and announced along with the winning numbers. Important note to remember: the 10X multiplier is only available for Powerball jackpots less than $150 million.
Now that you know how to play Powerball, let’s take a look at how much you can win.
Odds of Winning Powerball
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.
Believe it or not, you can win a Powerball prize with just a single ball being drawn, so long as your matching number is the Powerball. Altogether, including hitting the jackpot, there are 9 ways you can win a Powerball prize. Matching 5 numbers without the Powerball will get you a cool $1 million while simply matching the Powerball number earns you $4. The good news is that your chances of winning any prize is 1 in 24.9.
A breakdown of prizes and odds for Powerball
What days are the Powerball drawing?
The Powerball drawing occurs three times per week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM EST. Interested in learning more about the history of these games? Learn about the Mega Millions and Powerball changes that happened in 2020.
What happens if you win Powerball?
If you bought your Powerball ticket in person from a lottery retailer, check your state lottery website for more information on how to claim your prize. It can vary by state.
Lump sum vs annuity payouts
How does Powerball work if you win the jackpot? If you win the Powerball jackpot, you get to choose how you want to be paid—either an annuity or in a lump sum payout.
The Powerball annuity is paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years. Or you can go with the lump-sum option—a one-time payment that is equal to the amount of money required to be in the jackpot prize pool, on the day of the drawing, to fund the estimated jackpot annuity prize. When Powerball announces the estimated jackpot size before a drawing, they also include the size of the cash option.
Powerball States
Ready to get your game on? Let’s see if you’re in a participating state. Here’s the full list states that offer Powerball:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Colorado
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Only Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not have lotteries that offer Powerball.
Which state has the most Powerball jackpot wins?
Indiana has the most Powerball jackpot wins with 39 total. Curious about winners in your own state? Here’s a breakdown of Powerball jackpot winners by state.
Is Powerball better to play than Mega Millions?
When it comes to choosing between Powerball and Mega Millions, consider odds, prize levels, and drawing frequency. For example, Mega Millions has slightly better odds of winning any prize level but Powerball has slightly higher odds of winning the jackpot.
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
Powerball vs Mega Millions: Do You Really Understand The Differences Between Them?
Powerball and Mega Millions are both fun and easy to play – with BIG prizes up for grabs. These two lotteries are played in most states and offer large jackpots that can change the lives of the lucky winners.
Warren-Pender / istockphoto
Here’s everything you need to know about Powerball vs Mega Millions to help you decide which one to play.
JACKPOCKET
Powerball is a lottery game that started in 1992 and is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The game is played by selecting five white balls out of 69 and one red ball out of 26. You can choose your own lucky numbers or go with a randomly-generated Quick Pick.
The jackpot starts at $20 million and increases with each draw until there is a winner. The largest Powerball jackpot ever was $2.04 billion, which was won by a lucky player in California in 2022.
One of the things that make Powerball so popular is its huge jackpots. With a minimum jackpot of $20 million, players have a chance to win a life-changing amount of money. Powerball also offers nine different prize levels, which means there are more chances to win something, even if you don’t hit the jackpot.
Another advantage of Powerball is the fact that it is played in more jurisdictions than Mega Millions. This means that more people can participate in the game and the jackpots can grow faster, leading to even bigger payouts.
(Related: Can You Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery?)
Julie Clopper/istockphoto
Mega Millions is another popular lottery game that started in 1996 and is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the US Virgin Islands. The game is played by selecting five white balls out of 70 and one gold ball out of 25. Just like Powerball, you choose your own numbers or play a random Quick Pick.
The jackpot starts at $20 million and increases with each draw until there is a winner. The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was $1.537 billion, which was won by a single lucky player in 2018.
Like Powerball, Mega Millions offers huge jackpots that can change the lives of the winners. It also offers nine different prize levels, which means there are more chances to win something. Another advantage of Mega Millions is that it offers a Megaplier option, which can multiply the winnings of the players who match some of the winning numbers (but not all of them) by up to 5x.
Roberto Galan/Istockphoto
When it comes to choosing between Powerball and Mega Millions, there are several factors to consider.
Record Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots
“Millions” may be in the name of the game, but the biggest Mega Millions win of all time totaled $1.537 billion. One lucky lotto player from the small town of Simpson, South Carolina won it in October 2018.
The biggest Powerball prize of all time clocked in at $2.04 billion. That’s a world record! A single ticket in California won the whole shebang on November 7, 2022.
Odds of Winning: Powerball vs Mega Millions
The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are 1 in 292,201,338, while the odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are 1 in 302,575,350. This means that the odds of winning the jackpot are slightly better in Powerball, but the difference between Powerball and Mega Millions is not significant enough to make a significant impact on your decision. However, the odds of winning any prize in Mega Millions are slightly better than in Powerball, which means that players have a better chance of winning something in Mega Millions.
Gregory Clifford/istockphoto
The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize: 1 in 24.9. Here are all the ways you can win:
JACKPOCKET
The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize: 1 in 24. Here are all the ways to win:
JACKPOCKET
For an extra $1 per game, you can add the multiplier feature to your ticket. In Powerball, the multiplier is called Power Play.
In Mega Millions, the multiplier is called Megaplier. The “multiplier” number is drawn and announced along with the winning numbers and can multiply your prize — not including the jackpot — by up to ten times (Powerball) or 5 times (Mega Millions). The multiplier in Powerball goes up to 10 for jackpots $15o million or less, which is definitely a plus!
Number of States
As mentioned earlier, Powerball is played in more states than Mega Millions. This means that there are more people participating in the game and the jackpots. Each game is played in 45 states, Washington DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but Powerball is also available in Puerto Rico.
(Related: How to Win Scratch-Offs?)
ablokhin / iStock
Still undecided on which game is for you? Let’s break it down:
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Cost of ticket: Same for both
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Better odds of hitting the jackpot: Powerball
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Better overall odds of winning any prize: Mega Millions
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Which is available in more states: Powerball
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Which has had the largest jackpot: Powerball
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Which has more drawings: Powerball
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Which has better odds for a $1 million prize: Powerball
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Which has better odds of winning with one ball drawn: Mega Millions
gvictoria/istockphoto
When are the Powerball and Mega Millions drawings?
Powerball draws 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, at 10:59 PM ET.
Mega Millions draws 2 times a week on Tuesday and Friday, at 11:00 PM ET.
What numbers do you pick for Powerball and Mega Millions?
Powerball: Select 5 regular numbers from 1–69 and 1 red Powerball number from 1–26.
Mega Millions: Select 5 regular numbers from 1–70 and 1 Mega Ball number from 1–25.
Powerball vs Mega Millions: Where can I play?
Powerball is offered in 45 states plus Washington, DC and the Virgin Islands.
Mega Millions is offered in 45 states plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
What’s the difference between Powerball and Mega Millions?
Essentially, these games are very similar. They both require a draw of five white balls plus a “bonus” ball (the Powerball in Powerball and the Mega Ball in Mega Millions) to win the grand prize. The major difference between these two games is the number of balls available (70 for Mega Millions and 69 for Powerball for white, and 25 vs 26 for the “bonus” ball).
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org
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Featured Image Credit: fizkes/Istockphoto.
