Powerball 101

What Is the Powerball Lottery?

Powerball costs $2 per ticket.

On each ticket, you will select five whiteballs (Range: 1 to 69) and one red Powerball (Range: 1 to 26).

You can select your own numbers or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers (i.e. Quick Picks).
Note: We advise using our algorithms to select your numbers, not Quick Picks.

The Powerball Jackpot starts at $40 million and grows by at least $10 million each time the jackpot is not awarded.

There are a total of nine ways to win (more details below).

Where is Powerball Played?

Powerball can be played in 45 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. 

Sales cut-off times vary by one to two hours before the drawing, depending on the selling jurisdiction.

You can watch the Powerball drawing live, or find the winning numbers by checking the Powerball website, newspapers, or online.

Much Does It Cost to Play Powerball?

Powerball costs $2 per ticket, or $3 per ticket if you add the PowerPlay option (more details below).

How Does PowerPlay Work?

For an additional $1 per ticket, the Power Play feature can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x. If the jackpot is worth less than $150 million, a 10x multiplier is also added.

The PowerPlay multiplier number is randomly selected just before each drawing. 

The PowerPlay option also works differently with the million-dollar prize that’s awarded for matching five whiteballs without the PowerBall. This prize is always doubled to $2 million with any PowerPlay option.

How Do You Play Powerball?

When you buy your ticket, you select five whiteball numbers and one Powerball number.

The whiteballs range from 1 to 69 (no number can be drawn twice) and the Powerball ranges from 1 to 26.

You can choose your own Powerball numbers or you can use Quick Pick, which draws your numbers for you at random.

Do Powerball Numbers Have to Be In the Right Order to Win?

No… the order does not affect your chances of winning.

If you pick the numbers 2, 7, 19, 23, 52 with Powerball 6, and the winning numbers are drawn as 52, 7, 23, 2, 19, Powerball 6, you will still win the jackpot.

How Many Balls Do You Need to Win a Powerball Prize?

 

To win the jackpot, you will need to correctly pick all five whiteballs (in any order), as well as the red Powerball.

However, you can win smaller prizes as defined below:

Basic Powerball Payouts:

  • 5 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: Jackpot
  • 5 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $1,000,000
  • 4 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $10,000
  • 4 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $100
  • 3 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $100
  • 3 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $7
  • 2 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $7
  • 1 Correct White Ball and the Powerball: $4
  • No White Balls, Just the Powerball: $4

Payouts for Powerball with PowerPlay:

  • 5 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: Jackpot
  • 5 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $2,000,000
  • 4 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $20,000 – $100,000*
  • 4 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $200 – $1,000*
  • 3 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $200 – $1,000*
  • 3 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: $14 – $70*
  • 2 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: $14 – $70*
  • 1 Correct White Ball and the Powerball: $8 – $40*
  • No White Balls, Just the Powerball: $8 – $40*

*The exact payout will depend on whether a 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x multiplier was drawn at random. The 10x multiplier is available only when the jackpot is worth less than $150 million.

What Are the Odds of Winning Powerball?

The odds of winning Powerball are as follows:

  • 5 White Balls and Powerball (Jackpot): 1 in 292,201,338
  • 5 White Balls, but no Powerball: 1 in 11,688,053.52
  • 4 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: 1 in 913,129.18
  • 4 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: 1 in 36,525.17
  • 3 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: 1 in 14,494.11
  • 3 Correct White Balls, but no Powerball: 1 in 579.76
  • 2 Correct White Balls and the Powerball: 1 in 701.33
  • 1 Correct White Ball and the Powerball: 1 in 91.98
  • No White Balls, Just the Powerball: 1 in 38.32
  • Overall Odds of Winning Any Prize: 1 in 24.87

What Is Powerball Multi-Draw?

Multi-draws allows you to easily play the same set of numbers on consecutive drawings (ensuring sure you don’t miss a drawing).

You can select the number of consecutive drawings you want to play in the Multi-Draw or Advance Play section of your play slip, or simply tell the retailer how many drawings you wish to play.

How Do You Know If You've Won?

You will need to check your numbers yourself… or bring your ticket to a gas station, convenience store, or other location which sells tickets, to let them check your winnings for you. Be sure to sign your ticket first, to avoid being scammed out of a win!