Powerball Lottery

The Powerball lottery game is one of the biggest multi-state games available to play in America and the game was previously known as Lotto* America. As Lotto*America the game was played using a 6/54 matrix but with the name change came a new game matrix for the Powerball lottery. The first Powerball lottery draw was held its first draw on the 22nd April 1992 and since then has made numerous players millionaires.

Play Powerball Online

However the Powerball is made some changes to its game in January 2012 which introduced a larger minimum jackpot, a decrease in the number of Powerball’s and a guaranteed $1 million for any players matching 5 main white ball.

How to Play Powerball

Currently the Powerball is played by picking out five numbers between 1 and 59 and then one Powerball number between 1 and 35. In order to be a jackpot winner you have to match all five main balls (white balls) and the Powerball (red ball). Powerball jackpots in this lottery start at a minimum of $40 million however when players fail to match the Powerball results the jackpot rolls over to the following draw. This happens quite a lot in this American lottery game which means that the jackpot regularly reaches impressive amounts.

Powerball Powerplay

Powerball lottery players can also increase their chances of winning a prize by opting to play the PowerPlay. This is an additional feature which has costs a little extra on top of the cost of a Powerball ticket but can increase your winnings dramatically. The Powerplay number is drawn after the main results and if you match the number (between 2 and 5) your winnings increase quite substantially. This Powerplay comes into play for all prizes tiers except the jackpot and it means you can multiply your winnings However if you are fortunate enough to match all five numbers and play the PowerPlay then you will win $2 million, double the standard prize.

Powerball Odds and Prize Tiers

There are nine different prizes tiers in the Powerball and in every tier excluding the jackpot there is a guaranteed amount available to win. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 31.84 but take a look at the table below for a full list of prizes values and odds:

Match	Pays Out	Chances of winning
0 numbers + Powerball	$3	1 in 55.40
1 number + Powerball	$4	1 in 110.81
2 numbers + Powerball	$7	1 in 706.43
3 numbers	$7	1 in 360.14
3 number + Powerball	$100	1 in 12,244.82
4 numbers	$100	1 in 19,087.52
4 numbers + Powerball	$10,000	1 in 648,975.96
5 numbers	$200,000	1 in 5,153,632.64
5 numbers + Powerball	Jackpot	1 in 175,223,510

Although the odds of winning the jackpot are high the draw history of the Powerball shows that it is not impossible to take home the top prize.

You can find the very latest Powerball Lottery results here

Notable Powerball Winners

One of the more notable Powerball wins occurred in February 2006 when a syndicate of eight players from Nebraska won a staggering $365 million which is actually the biggest ever Powerball win to date. In addition to that the largest win by one single ticket happened on Christmas day in 2002 when a player from West Virginia matched the winning numbers correctly to scoop the entire jackpot of $314.9 million.

Powerball Payment Options

If you find yourself lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot then you get to choose how you would like to receive your winnings. The first is through a cash lump sum which will be lower than the advertised amount and subject to tax laws and then the other way is through annuity payments. By selecting this option you will receive your winnings through 30 payments which are spread over 29 years.

Powerball Draw Information

Draws take place for the Powerball twice a week on a Wednesday and Saturday at 10.59pm (EST) and two draw machines are used, one contains white balls in which the five main numbers are drawn out of and the other has red balls and the Powerball number gets drawn out of this machine.

Powerball Participating States/Jurisdictions

As this is a multi-state lottery game there are a number of states and jurisdictions that that participate in the game and these are; Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.