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How Powerball Works

Meet “America’s Game”

October 16, 2023 Share

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 in a Nutshell…

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 California on
October 11, 2023.

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 the Jackpocket lottery app.

How does Powerball work with Jackpocket?

Tired of forgetting to get your tickets in time for a drawing? Jackpocket is

a lottery courier app (think: Uber Eats for the lottery) allowing fans to
conveniently order tickets for Powerball and other lottery games right
from their phone. On Jackpocket, you pick your own Powerball numbers
or Quick Pick, choose whether to add Power Play to your ticket and place
your order. You can even join the Powerball Pool in supporting states, too!

Jackpocket then sends a scan of your lottery ticket for you to view in the
app. After the drawing, Jackpocket checks your ticket against the winning
numbers and notifies you automatically if you win a prize at any level. If
you win a smaller prize, we will credit your Jackpocket account directly
with your winnings. For any prize larger than $600, we will arrange to
securely transfer your ticket to you so you can claim your winnings with
your state lottery.

What's It Like to Win $1 Million on a Lottery …

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VIDEO: What's it like to win $1 million 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.

Match Win Odds

5 numbers + Jackpot 1 in
Powerball 292,201,338

5 numbers $1,000,000 1 in 11,688,053

4 numbers + $50,000 1 in 931,001

Powerball

4 numbers $100 11 in 36,525.17

3 numbers + $100 1 in 14,494.11

Powerball

3 numbers $7 1 in 579.76

2 numbers + $7 11 in 701.33
Powerball

1 number + $4 1 in 91.98
Powerball

Powerball only $4 1 in 38.32

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.

Lucky for you, when you order your Powerball tickets on Jackpocket, we
automatically alert you when you win! Smaller lottery prizes (usually up to
$600) go straight to your Jackpocket account. For larger prizes, we
arrange to have the ticket securely transferred to you so you can claim
your prize from the state lottery.

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.

Can you win Powerball on Jackpocket?

Over $350 million in lottery prizes have been won using Jackpocket to
date. There have been 35 people who have won prizes worth $1 million or
more. That includes 14 Powerball millionaires.

Winner winner: Learn exactly what happens if you win the lottery on
Jackpocket

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

*Jackpocket operates here!

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. Here's everything you
need to know about Powerball vs Mega Millions.

Get Your Powerball Ticket

Let's get you ready for the next Powerball drawing. Get the Jackpocket
app, and choose those lucky numbers now that you know how to play
Powerball!

More from Jackpocket

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About Us

Jackpocket is America's #1 lottery app.* We offer a convenient, fun, and

responsible way to enjoy your favorite lottery games right from your
phone or computer. Jackpocket operates out of New York and Santa
Barbara with a team of 300 superhumans and 1 Maybelle, our very
photogenic office pup. Available in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas,
Washington DC and West Virginia. Download the Jackpocket app or visit
play.jackpocket.com today.

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*Number one ranked lottery app according to data from AppFollow. Must be 18
or older to play the lottery. 21+ in AZ. 19+ in NE. Jackpocket is not affiliated with
any State Lottery. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and
wants help, residents of NY call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369);
residents of MA call 1-800-327-5050; residents of OR call 1-877-MYLIMIT;
residents of PR call 1-800-981-0023; all others, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Please visit
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