US Powerball is the American lottery behind the largest jackpots in world history, including the record $2.04 billion won in California in November 2022. You pick 5 numbers from 1-69 plus one Powerball from 1-26, draws are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights, a standard play costs US$2, and the jackpot starts at an estimated US$20 million and rolls until someone wins it.
How does Powerball work?
Three times a week, five white balls are drawn from a drum of 69 and one red Powerball from a separate drum of 26. Your play wins a prize if it matches enough of them - from the $4 minimum (matching just the Powerball) up to the jackpot (all five white balls plus the Powerball). If nobody hits the jackpot, it rolls over to the next draw with no upper cap, which is how Powerball reaches its billion-dollar headlines.
Powerball: basic information
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draw nights | Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm Eastern Time |
| Number format | 5 numbers from 1-69 + 1 Powerball from 1-26 |
| Ticket price | US$2 per play (US$3 with Power Play; Double Play +US$1 where offered) |
| Starting jackpot | Estimated US$20 million, rolling with no cap |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 292,201,338 per play |
| Prize divisions | 9 (any-prize odds about 1 in 25) |
| Record jackpot | $2.04 billion - November 2022, California |
How to play Powerball (step by step)
- Choose 5 numbers from 1 to 69, or take a quick pick and let the terminal choose.
- Choose 1 Powerball number from 1 to 26. It comes from its own drum, so it can duplicate one of your white-ball numbers.
- Decide on add-ons. Power Play (+US$1) multiplies non-jackpot prizes; Double Play (+US$1, in participating states) enters your numbers in a second drawing with a US$10 million top prize.
- Buy before the cut-off - at any US retailer, through your state lottery's online platform where available, or from abroad through a lottery messenger service.
- Check the draw at 10:59 pm ET on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday and claim within your jurisdiction's deadline.
How to read a Powerball ticket
A printed Powerball ticket carries the same handful of elements everywhere in the US, in roughly this order top to bottom. The retailer name and terminal number sit at the top, followed by the draw date(s) your play covers — a single Monday/Wednesday/Saturday draw, or several if you bought a multi-draw ticket. Each set of numbers you played is its own lettered play (A, B, C and so on) if you bought more than one line in the same purchase, so a ticket with plays A through E holds five separate, independent entries.
Within each lettered play, the five white-ball numbers print first (from the 1–69 pool), followed by the red Powerball number (from the separate 1–26 pool) — usually set apart in red ink or a boxed digit so it's never confused with the white balls. If you selected Quick Pick rather than your own numbers, the ticket marks that play "QP" instead of showing you chose them by hand; the numbers themselves print exactly the same either way. A "PP" or "Power Play" marker next to a play means that add-on was purchased for it — the multiplier itself isn't printed on the ticket because it isn't drawn until the night of the draw. A "DP" or "Double Play" marker works the same way for that separate add-on, in the states that offer it, and simply means the same numbers are also entered into Double Play's own drawing with its own fixed top prize. Along the bottom, a barcode is what a retailer's terminal or the official app scans to check a play against the results, a ticket/serial number uniquely identifies that exact ticket for claims, and the total price for all plays and add-ons combined appears near the barcode.
The single most useful habit: check the draw date on the ticket against the date of the draw you're comparing results to before you conclude you've won or lost — a multi-draw ticket covers several dates at once, and checking against the wrong one is a common false alarm in both directions. If a scan or an official app confirms a win, the physical ticket (or, for an online purchase, the account it's tied to) is still what you need to actually claim it.
Common mistakes reading or checking a ticket
Most “I thought I won” moments trace back to the ticket itself rather than the draw. The most common: checking a multi-draw ticket against only one of its several covered dates and missing that an earlier or later line matched. Close behind: mixing up a play's white-ball numbers with its Powerball number when comparing by eye instead of scanning, since a matched white number in the wrong column doesn't count. A ticket marked "QP" is not a different type of play from one you chose by hand - it wins on exactly the same terms, so there's no need to treat a quick pick result differently. And a Power Play add-on only multiplies non-jackpot prizes; a "PP" marker on a losing play changes nothing about whether it won, only what a winning play (other than the jackpot) would have paid. When in doubt, scan the barcode rather than eyeballing the numbers - that's what it's there for.
Powerball rules worth knowing
Ticket sales close before the draw - usually one to two hours, varying by state. Power Play draws a 2×, 3×, 4×, 5× or 10× multiplier (the 10× only when the advertised jackpot is US$150 million or less), and it always doubles the match-5 second prize to US$2 million regardless of the multiplier drawn. California is the exception on add-ons: its prizes are pari-mutuel by law, so Power Play isn't offered there. Jackpot winners choose between a 30-payment annuity (one payment now, then 29 more annually, each 5% larger than the last) or a smaller lump-sum cash option - typically 45-55% of the advertised jackpot, since that cash figure is what's actually sitting in the prize pool the day you win, before the annuity spreads it out. US federal (plus often state) tax comes off the top of either choice - the advertised figure is always the annuity total before tax. Claim deadlines are set by whichever state sold the ticket, not by Powerball itself, and run anywhere from 90 days to a year after the draw - check your own state lottery's rules rather than assuming a US-wide standard.
Powerball prize divisions
Nine ways to win, with fixed prizes below the jackpot:
| Match | Odds (per play) | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Powerball | 1 in 292,201,338 | Jackpot (shared if multiple winners) |
| 5 | 1 in 11,688,054 | $1,000,000 |
| 4 + Powerball | 1 in 913,129 | $50,000 |
| 4 | 1 in 36,525 | $100 |
| 3 + Powerball | 1 in 14,494 | $100 |
| 3 | 1 in 580 | $7 |
| 2 + Powerball | 1 in 701 | $7 |
| 1 + Powerball | 1 in 92 | $4 |
| Powerball only | 1 in 38 | $4 |
The full payout mathematics — including how Power Play changes each tier — is in our Powerball odds and prizes guide.
What does a Powerball ticket cost?
US$2 per play at face value; US$3 with Power Play; US$4 with both add-ons. Online prices vary by route — official state platforms sell at face value, while messenger services for international players charge more per line. See the full breakdown in how much a Powerball ticket costs, and every legal way to buy Powerball tickets online.
The biggest Powerball jackpots ever
$2.04 billion - November 2022, a single ticket in California (the world record)
$1.765 billion - October 2023, California
$1.586 billion - January 2016, split between three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee
$842.4 million - January 2024, Michigan
$754.6 million - February 2023, Washington State
All five of the ten largest Powerball jackpots on record have been won since the October 2015 matrix change described below - the harder odds that came with it are also what let the jackpot roll long enough to reach these figures in the first place.
How the starting jackpot and the odds got here
Powerball's numbers have changed more than once, always in the same direction: fewer, harder-to-hit combinations in exchange for bigger, more frequent headline jackpots. The starting jackpot doubled to $40 million on January 4, 2012. On October 7, 2015 the whole matrix changed - white balls expanded from a 1-59 pool to today's 1-69, and the Powerball itself shrank from a 1-35 pool to 1-26 - which pushed jackpot odds from roughly 1 in 175 million to today's 1 in 292,201,338, while making every prize tier below the jackpot easier to hit. The same 2015 change added the 10× Power Play multiplier. Today's lower $20 million starting jackpot (down from the 2012 $40 million floor) reflects that harder jackpot odds mean rollovers already take longer on their own - a smaller floor lets the game reach its now-routine nine- and ten-figure jackpots without needing an even bigger starting number to get there.
Powerball vs Mega Millions, in brief
The two US giants share a format - five main numbers plus one bonus ball, three-times-a-week draws, an uncapped rolling jackpot - but not the same numbers. Powerball draws 5 from 69 plus 1 from 26 ($2 a line, Power Play sold separately) on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; Mega Millions draws 5 from 70 plus 1 from 24 ($5 a line with its multiplier built in) on Tuesday and Friday. Powerball's jackpot odds (1 in 292,201,338) are very slightly harder than Mega Millions' (1 in 290,472,336). The full side-by-side, including how each game's multiplier actually works, is in our Powerball vs Mega Millions comparison, and every legal way to buy either one is covered in buying Mega Millions tickets online.
Powerball around the world
The American game inspired namesakes elsewhere — most notably Australian Powerball, a separate Thursday lottery with a 7/35 + 1/20 format, and New Zealand's Powerball add-on. They share nothing but the name: different draws, different odds, different prizes. If you searched for the Australian game, our Australian Powerball guide covers it in full.
Can you play US Powerball from outside the United States?
Yes. You don't need to be a US citizen or resident to win — you need an official ticket bought inside a US jurisdiction, which is what lottery messenger services provide: local agents buy the ticket and scan it to your account before the draw. We publish dedicated how-to-play guides for players in the United Kingdom, India, Canada, the Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and Spain.
Play the world's biggest lotteries
Buy official tickets online through a licensed operator - same numbers, same jackpots.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Powerball?
Pick 5 numbers from 1–69 and one Powerball from 1–26; draws are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET. Match at least the Powerball to win the $4 minimum; match all six to win the jackpot. A play costs US$2, with optional Power Play and Double Play add-ons at US$1 each.
How do you play Powerball online?
US residents can buy through their state lottery's official platform where online sales exist, or a licensed courier app. Players outside the US use a lottery messenger service, which buys an official ticket locally and scans it to your account. All routes enter the identical draw.
What time is the Powerball drawing?
10:59 pm Eastern Time every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, broadcast from Tallahassee, Florida. Ticket sales cut off earlier — commonly one to two hours before the draw, depending on the state or platform.
Do you win anything with one Powerball number?
Matching just the Powerball itself wins $4 — odds of about 1 in 38. One white ball alone wins nothing; one white ball plus the Powerball also pays $4. The nine-division table above shows every winning combination.
How much does Powerball cost to play?
US$2 per play. Power Play costs US$1 more and multiplies non-jackpot prizes; Double Play costs US$1 more where offered and enters a second draw with a US$10 million top prize. A line with both add-ons is US$4.
Is US Powerball the same as Australian Powerball?
No — they only share the name. The US game is 5/69 + 1/26 with draws three times a week and the biggest jackpots on earth; the Australian game is 7/35 + 1/20, drawn Thursdays, with better odds and tax-free prizes for Australian residents.
How do you read a Powerball ticket?
Top to bottom: the retailer and draw date(s), a lettered play (A, B, C…) for each line you bought, that play's five white-ball numbers followed by the red Powerball number, a "QP" mark if it was a quick pick and a "PP" mark if Power Play was added, then a barcode, serial number and total price at the bottom.
What does "PP" or "Power Play" mean on a Powerball ticket?
It marks that the Power Play add-on ($1 extra) was purchased for that play. The multiplier itself (2x-10x) isn't printed on the ticket because it's drawn fresh on draw night; Power Play only multiplies non-jackpot prizes.
How long do you have to claim a Powerball prize?
It depends on the state that sold the ticket, not on Powerball itself — deadlines range from 90 days to a full year after the draw. Check the issuing state lottery's own claim rules rather than assuming a single US-wide deadline.