If there's anything you need to know about Powerball, you can find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the game below, including how to play, how to buy tickets, why Power Play isn't available in California, and much more. If your question isn't answered here, head over to the Information page to find detailed guides and articles covering all aspects of Powerball.

Powerball drawings take place every Wednesday and Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida, at approximately 10:59pm ET.

Ticket sales close approximately one hour before the draw, but cut-off times may vary between states. We would advise that you check the exact sales cut-off time with your state lottery provider.

You can enter Powerball draws in advance, but how far in advance will vary between states. In California, for example, you can play up to 10 draws in advance, while in Florida you can enter up to 52 consecutive drawings at once.

If you don't want to choose your Powerball numbers yourself, you can ask your retailer for a Quick Pick to receive a line of randomly generated numbers. In most states you can only Quick Pick an entire line, but some allow you to do it for just the main numbers or the Powerball. See the Quick Pick vs Own Numbers page to learn more.

Power Play is an optional add-on to the main Powerball draw that you can enter for an extra $1 per line. If you opt in, any non-jackpot prizes you win will be multiplied by up to 10 times their original value. Your prize could be multiplied by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or even 10x, based on the Power Play number selected shortly before the main Powerball draw.

The Match 5 prize of $1 million will only increase to a maximum of $2 million, regardless of which multiplier is selected, and the 10x multiplier is only in play when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less.

By law, all Californian lottery prizes must be pari-mutuel, meaning they are determined by the number of tickets sold and the number of winners in each prize tier. As the Power Play multiplies prizes by a fixed amount, it cannot be calculated on a pari-mutuel basis, so it is not offered to players in California.

To win a prize, you must match as many of your chosen numbers as possible with those drawn in the lottery. The more numbers you match, the greater your prize. You can win for matching just the Powerball, while the jackpot is won by matching all five main numbers plus the Powerball. The table below shows what prizes you can win and how many numbers you need to match.

The Power Play feature is the multiplier in the US Powerball lottery. This means that it can increase the prizes in the game for those who add it to their ticket. The multiplier is optional and it comes at an additional fee of $1.00 per ticket. It only applies to secondary prizes, but it can increase them significantly. Winning a Powerball game There are nine ways to win a Powerball game, and here are a few: If you only match the Powerball number, you can win at minimum $4. Match the first five numbers, and you win $1 million. Leave it all up to luck and ask for a Powerball quick pick or choose your own numbers. Pick five numbers from 1–69 and one Powerball number from 1–26. There are nine ways to win, starting with $4 for matching just the Powerball. Match the first five numbers plus the Powerball to.

The jackpot is shared equally between all players that match all six numbers in the same draw. For example, if the jackpot is worth $100 million and four players match all six numbers, they will each win $25 million before tax. All other prizes are fixed amounts. Head over to the Prizes page to find out more.

No, you can match the five main numbers on your ticket with the five main numbers drawn in any order. The Powerball, however, is not interchangeable with any of the other numbers, so the Powerball stated on your ticket must match the one drawn, and it cannot be used to match any of the other numbers.

The Powerball jackpot is calculated on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning that it changes depending on the number of tickets sold and how many winners there are.

Powerball rules dictate that 50 percent of the revenue from the sale of every Powerball ticket goes into the prize pool, and between 60 and 68 percent of that is allocated to the jackpot, depending on its value in the previous draw. The page about pari-mutuel prizes goes into more detail about this.

Yes, you can play Powerball even if you don't live in the United States. Find out more on the Buy Tickets page.

Yes, but you would need to travel to one of the participating states to buy a ticket. Any prizes you win must also be claimed in the state in which you bought your ticket, so bear this in mind before travelling long distances to play.

The claim process depends on the amount of money you win and the state in which you play. In most states you will be able to claim prizes of less than $600 from any licensed Powerball retailer. Prizes over this value will generally need to be claimed from a regional lottery office or central headquarters. Some states also allow you to claim by mail.

Depending on the state, you have between 90 days and a year from the date of the winning draw to claim a prize. If you play online, you will automatically be notified of a win by email. See the How to Claim page for more information.

In some states you may not be able to claim a prize at all if you lose your ticket, while in others you may be asked to provide certain details about when and where you bought it to help prove that you are the rightful owner. In all cases, the first thing you should do is contact your state lottery to report the loss.

Each state lottery has rules to determine where any unclaimed prize money goes. In most cases the money will be used to fund public projects or good causes in the state. You can find more information about this on the Unclaimed Prizes page.

You must be at least 18 years of age to play Powerball in most states, but in Nebraska you must be at least 19 years old, and in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi you must be 21 or older.

Larger Powerball prizes, including the jackpot, are subject to federal taxes, as well as state taxes where applicable. A federal tax of between 24 and 37 percent will be applied, and then state taxes will be taken on top of that. Some locations, such as New York City, also levy a local tax on lottery winnings, which will be taken in addition to federal and state taxes.

You will be taxed according to the rules in the state where you bought your ticket. This means that if you live somewhere that does not have a state tax, but you buy your ticket from somewhere that does, you will be liable to pay state tax on your winnings. See the Powerball Taxes page for further details.

Fifty percent (so $1) from the sale of every Powerball ticket goes into the prize pool for that draw. The remaining money is then used to cover operating costs, expenses and commissions, and to contribute to public or charitable projects. Each state determines where revenue will be allocated and which projects will benefit. You can find out more on the Distribution of Revenue page.

A lottery pool – also known as a syndicate or group play – gives you the opportunity to team up with other players to improve your chances of winning. In standard pools, every member contributes an agreed amount of money to buy Powerball tickets, and if any of the tickets bought by the group win a prize, the money is shared equally among all members.

If you’re planning on joining a lottery pool, be aware that state lotteries have very specific rules about how many people can be named as claimants in the event of any prize wins. The Powerball Lottery Pools page will tell you more.

The odds of winning a prize in Powerball are 1 in 24.87 and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.

The main number pool ranges from 1 to 69 and the Powerball pool is from 1 to 26.

The guaranteed minimum jackpot is $20 million (*During the Coronavirus pandemic, the starting jackpot may be lower than this).

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, and the size of the jackpot has no bearing on your chances of winning. The pool of numbers you have to choose from and the number of balls drawn in each game stays the same from draw to draw, so your chances of winning don’t change. The number of tickets sold also does not influence your chances of winning, as you’re not competing against other players.

The only time the odds of winning change is when the official Powerball rules are updated and the number matrix changes. This has happened several times since the lottery began, and in each case the changes were highly publicized in advance. If the pool of numbers is ever due to change again, chances are that you will hear about it.

Powerball Rules Ohio

No, the jackpot will roll over until a player is able to match all five numbers and the Powerball.

The biggest Powerball jackpot on record was worth $1.58 billion and was won by three ticket holders from California, Florida, and Tennessee on Wednesday January 13th 2016. John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills, California, all won $528 million before taxes. Each of the winners chose a lump sum of $327 million.
The largest single-ticket jackpot in Powerball history was won by a Wisconsin resident on Wednesday March 27th 2019. The ticket was bought from an undisclosed retailer in New Berlin, entitling the winner to an annuity of $768 million. For more information on some of Powerball's largest prize winners, including a state-by-state breakdown of where each jackpot winning ticket was purchased, visit the Winners page.

Every number has an equal chance of being drawn, regardless of previous results. For example, a number that hasn't been seen for six months and one that was drawn last week have an equal chance of appearing in the next drawing. Although there are many systems that can help you choose which numbers to play, none of them increase the chances of a particular number being drawn.

There is only one guaranteed way of winning Powerball: buy every single number combination. With nearly three million combinations, however, this is not realistic. The more Powerball lines you purchase, however, the better your chances. The best way to do this is by forming or joining a lottery pool with friends, family, or work colleagues, as you can spread the cost of buying tickets between you.

A single ticket costs $2 and if you would like to add the Power Play option, it costs an extra $1.

The Numbers page shows all the latest results from recent Powerball draws, while the Ticket Checker page will show you what prizes your numbers have won over the last 180 days.

You can watch the Powerball drawings on TV networks such as FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC. For a full list of networks and stations, see the Watch Drawings page.

If you win the Powerball jackpot, you have the choice of taking the money as annuity payments or as a lump sum. If you opt for the lump sum, you will receive all the money that has accumulated in the jackpot prize pool at the time of the draw, whereas if you take the annuity, that money is invested and paid out over 29 years. The value of the annuity is always higher than the lump sum, as you receive the returns from the investments as well as the initial jackpot amount. See the Cash vs Annuity page for further information.

The annuity value of a jackpot (see the question above) is always used when advertising it prior to a draw. If a jackpot winner opts to take a cash lump sum instead of the annuity payments, the value of the prize will be less than advertised.

Occasionally – but rarely – the jackpot may have to be adjusted to a lower amount than estimated if ticket sales for a particular drawing aren’t as high as was predicted. This can only be done after a draw has taken place, once final ticket sales have been calculated.

The lump sum or first annuity payment of a jackpot will usually be paid within a few days of the winning ticket being validated and after the requisite identity checks have been conducted. Winners may also have to fulfil certain media obligations before the payment is released, although this will vary between states.

You can remain anonymous if you win a prize in the following states: Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Winners in Puerto Rico can also retain their anonymity.

In Arizona, winners are eligible for anonymity if their prize exceeds $100,000. Virginia offers anonymity to lottery winners of over $10 million. In Georgia, only winners of prizes over $250,000 can remain private. In West Virginia, winners can only remain anonymous if they have won $1 million or over, and pay five percent of their prize money to the State Lottery Fund.

State lotteries will never contact you directly to notify you of a prize you have won. If you receive a message or phone call telling you that you’ve won a prize, it is a scam, especially if the caller or sender of the message asks you to disclose personal information or pay a fee. The Scams page has all the information you need to help protect yourself against such fraud.

The next Powerball draw is on the February 10.

The next Powerball jackpot is estimated at $42,000,000.

Holder of the world record for the biggest jackpot with its $1.58 billion prize of 2016, the US Powerball is the world’s most popular lottery. But, how does it work? What are the rules of the game? Can you play it online?

Yes, you can play Powerball online from anywhere in the world and we are going to tell you how. Your aim is to scoop the enormous first prize, which starts at $40 million. There is no cap for the Powerball jackpot, so the top prize can grow unlimitedly. Every time that the top prize remains unclaimed, it rolls over increasing its value until somebody eventually wins it. The current Powerball record stands at $1.58 million, but with every rollover, there is a chance it could be broken.

US Powerball Rules

If you want to win the Powerball jackpot, then the first thing you have to do is to play the game. The process is very simple – for every line you play in the game, you have to:

9 Ways To Win Powerball

If you match all five numbers and the Powerball, you win the top prize. By guessing just the main numbers and not the Powerball, you can qualify for the $1 million second prize.

For a small fee, you can play with the Power Play multiplier. With this extra feature, you can boost non-jackpot prizes 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 10 times. One dollar goes a long way with Power Play!

When is the Powerball Draw?

The official draws of the US Powerball take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 23:00 EST. You have to put in your tickets for the draw before the cutoff time to make sure you are entered in the game. Each draw comes with a new jackpot and the full set of Powerball prizes.

How to Play Powerball Online

The Powerball is the biggest lottery in the United States, but you do not have to be a U.S. citizen or travel to America to play the game. There is a simple and convenient way to play the US Powerball lottery online from anywhere you are. You can use the online services of theLotter, the world-leading lottery messenger service.

There are many advantages to playing Powerball online on theLotter. The company provides secure purchases, multiple ways to engage with the Powerball lottery, discounts for passionate players, and live support via chat or toll-free phone calls.

To play the game, all you have to do is choose between a standard game, a syndicate, and a bundle. The standard game has a minimum offer of 3 lines, but you can choose to play up to 25 lines at once. You can either choose the numbers for each line manually or click on Quick Pick to get random numbers. Then, hit the play button and you are almost done.

theLotter services save you the trouble of traveling to the United States to buy Powerball tickets. While you comfortably sit on your couch, there’s a local agent who buys the tickets for you, with the numbers you chose. Before the draw takes place, you can see a scanned copy of the already purchased tickets in your theLotter account.

Pick the Best Play Format for You

When you play Powerball online on theLotter, you can expand your lottery experience with some advanced play formats. These will exponentially increase your chances of winning the Powerball, which makes them worth your attention. Here are the main formats you can try online:

Syndicates – Playing a Powerball syndicate means joining a group of registered players just like you. A syndicate includes a large number of tickets and the total price is divided into equal shares that you can buy. This means that you can have a lot of tickets in the game without making a colossal investment. If one or more tickets in the group have the winning numbers for Powerball prizes, the payout will be divided between the members of the syndicate according to the shares that they have purchased. For example, if a syndicate has a total of 100 shares, then the amount of the prize will be divided into 100. Another advantage is that you don’t have to do anything to organize a syndicate when playing Powerball online with theLotter.

Bundles – If you thought it couldn’t get any better than this, let us tell you about bundles! These allow you to boost your odds of winning even more than syndicates do. Bundles are a great combination of a standard play and a syndicate. They always feature an individual ticket and at least one syndicate share. With bundles, you have multiple package choices, depending on the number of syndicate shares they include: Classic, Deluxe, and Premium.

Systematic Forms – On theLotter, you can play Powerball with every possible combination of 6 to 10 of your lucky numbers. This means that you will go into the game with a lot of tickets and a higher chance of scooping a prize. If you match even some of the winning numbers, you will have them on several tickets, which means that you can win more prizes. With systematic forms, you get your very own Powerball multiplier. If you also add Power Play to your tickets, you can boost your winnings through the roof.

The Powerball Prizes

There are 9 prize divisions in total in the US Powerball. The top prize begins at a mouth-watering $40 million and it only goes up from there. In fact, the Powerball was the first lottery to ever pass the $1 billion threshold. In 2016, it has set the world record for the largest prize ever awarded with its $1.58 billion pot. But there are 8 more reasons for you to play Powerball. One of them is the second prize is worth a full $1 million, and if you play with the Power Play multiplier, you can make it worth $2 million. Even if you only match the Powerball number, you can still win the complimentary 9th prize, which is worth $4.00, and that can get as high as $40.00 with Power Play.

The Power Play Multiplier

The US Powerball offers a multiplier called Power Play, which is an optional feature that can increase the prizes in the game 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 10 times. You have to pay an additional $1.00 fee to add the multiplier to your ticket, but it can take your winnings to new heights. The Power Play number is drawn from a separate barrel during the Powerball draw. The multiplier does not apply to the Powerball jackpot, it only increases the secondary prizes in the game. It can double the $1 million second prize and it can increase the other prizes in the game 2, 3, 4, or 5 times. When the jackpot is below the amount of $150 million, a 10x Power Play number is also entered in the game.

Powerball FAQ

Powerball Rules Ca

We’ve gathered a few of the most frequently asked questions about the US Powerball, along with the answers to them. Take a look!

• How do you play the Powerball lottery?

To play Powerball, you have to choose 5 main numbers from 1 to 69 and a Powerball number from 1 to 26. You have to choose a different set of numbers for each line you want to play.

• Do you win with just the Powerball?

Yes, you can win a prize in the US Powerball by only matching the Powerball number. With this, you qualify for the 9^th prize category, which amounts to $4.00.

• How late can I buy Powerball tickets?

You can buy your Powerball tickets up until the cutoff time, which is 22:00 EST. When you play Powerball online, you can set to receive notifications about upcoming draws or you can set up subscriptions to never miss a draw.

• Do you have to be a US citizen to play Powerball?

No, you do not have to be a US citizen to play Powerball. As per the official rules of the game, there is no citizenship restriction regarding participation.

• How many draws is a Powerball ticket good for?

Each Powerball ticket can be used for one draw only. The number selection on the ticket will be compared to the drawn numbers from that day.

• Do the Powerball numbers need to be in order?

No, there is no specific order that the Powerball numbers must be in. You only have to match the drawn main numbers and Powerball to qualify for the prizes in the game. However, the main numbers and the Powerball are not interchangeable as they come with separate guess ranges.

• Do Quick picks ever win the lottery?

Yes, there are many Powerball jackpot winners who have won their fortunes by playing with random combinations of numbers. Probably the best-known example is Gloria MacKenzie, who was 85 at the time of her win. She scooped $590 million back in 2013 on a Quick Pick ticket that she bought after a good Samaritan let her cut in line at the lottery retailer’s office. Sometimes winning is fate!

Now that you know how Powerball works, it is high time you join the lottery players community and play Powerball online!