The Odds of Winning Powerball - Everything You Need to Know
With a record jackpot of $2.04 billion, who wouldn’t want to win a multi-million dollar Powerball jackpot? However, simply wanting to win isn't enough - you need to beat the odds first! Whenever a jackpot starts getting big, you can expect lottery fever to sweep the nation and millions of Powerball tickets to be bought at each draw for a chance to win the coveted top prize, which usually reaches hundreds of millions before being won. One of the main reasons Powerball jackpots can reach these colossal amounts is precisely because of the difficult odds, which results in long rollover cycles. Keep reading to find out how lottery odds work and what your chances are of winning Powerball.
How do the Powerball odds work?
Many people who Play Powerball, or any lottery for that matter, don’t know how odds work. Your chance of winning a prize is based on how many numbers you have to correctly guess and the range of those numbers. The more numbers you need to match and the larger the range of numbers, the more challenging it will be to win. Just as well, the smaller the guess range, the higher your odds are of matching a prize.
Every lottery has its own unique matrix. For example, when you play Powerball you need to correctly match 5 numbers from a range of 1-69 and 1 Powerball number from 1-26. Unless the lottery decides to change the game rules, nothing else could affect the odds, including how big the jackpot gets and how many people are participating in the draw.
However, what does change is the chances of the jackpot being split between winners or not. That's because the more people that play, the higher the odds that there will be more than one winning ticket, meaning the prize money will be split between multiple players.
What are the odds of winning Powerball prizes?
In addition to its famous jackpot prize, Powerball also offers eight secondary prize tiers. Check out your chances of winning one:
|
Prize 1 (Jackpot)
|
5+Powerball
|
1:292,201,338
|
|
Prize 2
|
5
|
1:11,688,053
|
|
Prize 3
|
4+Powerball
|
1:913,129
|
|
Prize 4
|
4
|
1:36,525
|
|
Prize 5
|
3+Powerball
|
1:14,494
|
|
Prize 6
|
3
|
1:579
|
|
Prize 7
|
2+Powerball
|
1:701
|
|
Prize 8
|
1+Powerball
|
1:92
|
|
Prize 9
|
0+Powerball
|
1:38
|
Your overall odds of winning any Powerball prize is just 1 in 24.9.
Does the Power Play Option Change Your Chances of Winning?
If you didn’t already know, Powerball gives players a chance to multiply their secondary prize winnings by up to five times their original amount by adding the Powerball Power Play option to their ticket for a small extra fee.
So how does it work? At the draw, a single number from a guess range of 2 to 5 will be selected from a separate drum consisting of forty-two balls. Each ball has a number that determines how many times a secondary prize is multiplied.
Thankfully, this does not affect your chances of snagging a Powerball prize! The only odds that are affected are the chances of a specific multiplier number being picked. For example, there are 3 balls with the number “4X”. If one of the 3 balls is drawn, anyone who added the Power Play option to their entry will have their secondary prize multiplied three times. This number has a 1 in 14 chance of being drawn.
Does playing online affect the Powerball odds?
No, it does not! When you play Powerball online with a ticket courier service like theLotter Texas, you will join the draw with official Texas Lottery tickets, meaning you have as good of a chance as any other player of winning a Powerball prize!
How to play Powerball online from Texas?
It’s like buying a regular lottery ticket, just more convenient. Play Powerball from anywhere in the state, at any time of day by selecting “Powerball” on theLotter Texas website or app, filling in your online entry, and choosing whether you’d like to add the Power Play option. Once your purchase has been confirmed, our local agent will buy an official Powerball ticket on your behalf, scan and upload it to your account for viewing purposes, and securely store the physical ticket until the draw.
Did you win a prize? If you match a second-tier prize, your winnings will be immediately transferred to your theLotter Texas account for withdrawal after the official Powerball results are announced. In the case of a jackpot or second-place win, you will be given your physical Powerball tickets to collect the prize money in person. All prizes won online through theLotter Texas are awarded 100% commission-free, so when you win, you’re taking home the entire prize!
Do you think you can beat the Powerball odds?
If you’re ready to try your luck at winning the next Powerball jackpot, you can buy official lottery tickets online at theLotter Texas for the next draw! Want more? Take a chance on Mega Millions, or state lotteries such as Lotto Texas, Texas Two Step, Cash Five, and more!