This means no physical ticket will be purchased but you will be paid out the same as if you had actually bought the ticket. These services are heavily regulated to make sure your money is safe.

USA Powerball draws take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night at 10:59pm EST. Players must select five main numbers between 1 and 69 and one Powerball number between 1 and 26. Much like with the lottery games in Australia, you can opt for a ‘Quick Pick’ and your numbers will be randomly generated for you.

One standard Powerball line costs $2, but the actual price of your ticket will depend on a few different factors. After choosing how many games you want to play, how many consecutive draws you want to enter and whether you have decided to add the Power Play option, the price will increase.

How to Play Powerball

• Create an account - Select any of the ‘Play Online’ banners on Australia.National-Lottery.com and you will be able to set up an account.
• Pick your numbers – Simply pick five main numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. You can opt for the ‘Quick Pick’ option and have the numbers randomly selected for you.
• Pay for your entries – Once you’re happy with your numbers, click ‘Add to Cart’ and pay for your entries.
• Check the results – Now all that’s left to do is sit back, relax and check the Powerball Results page after the draws on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings.

Power Play

Adding the Power Play option to your ticket will cost you an additional $1 but will give you the chance of multiplying your winnings up to 10x the advertised amount. Non-jackpot winnings are multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. The only exception to the prize amounts increasing is the Match 5 prize, which is always doubled to $2 million, regardless of which Power Play number is drawn. Remember, the 10x Power Play is only available when the jackpot is an estimated $150 million or less.

Dividends

There are 9 prize divisions in US Powerball. It is possible to win a cash prizes for only matching the Powerball but matching 5 numbers plus the Powerball will win you the jackpot. The overall odds of winning a Powerball Prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. In the following table you will find the odds of winning in each prize level.

Division	Numbers Matched	Prize Amount	Odds of Winning
1	5 main numbers plus Powerball	Jackpot (variable)	1 in 292,201,338
2	5 main numbers	$1 million	1 in 1,688,054
3	4 main numbers plus Powerball	$50,000	1 in 913,129
4	4 main numbers	$100	1 in 36,525
5	3 main numbers plus Powerball	$100	1 in 14,494
6	3 main numbers	$7	1 in 580
7	2 main numbers plus Powerball	$7	1 in 701
8	1 main number plus Powerball	$4	1 in 92
9	0 main numbers plus Powerball	$4	1 in 38
Overall, your chances of winning a U.S. Powerball prize are 1 in 16.6

Cash vs Annuity

If you’re lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot, there are some decisions to be made. The biggest being whether to take the cash lump sum or have the jackpot paid to you over 29 years. There are pros and cons for both and the decision is totally up to you. It is worth remembering that when taking the cash lump sum the amount is less than advertised due to the annuity payments increasing in value each year. The jackpot advertised is the amount you will be paid if you choose the annuity option.

Biggest Jackpots

Powerball currently holds the record for the largest prize ever won in any lottery game across the world. The jackpot reached a whopping $2.04 billion in November 2022 and was claimed by a ticket holder in California. This is the biggest jackpot ever won by a single ticket.

The reason the jackpot can grow to such heights is due to the large starting jackpot amount of $20 million coupled with the fact that there is no jackpot cap. Unlike in UK Lotto, the Powerball jackpot can keep rolling over and over until it is won.