Powerball is actually the ‘little sister’ of MegaMillions. Both are very popular lotteries in the United States. Thousands of people love to take a gamble because they can win one of the biggest Jackpots in the world. Since the fall 2015 the Powerball Lottery has the biggest lottery Jackpot worldwide. In fact, in one in two Jackpots you can win more than 100.000 dollars!
One of the most popular lotteries in the United States
This year Powerball turns 25 years old. It has been established in 1992 as the follow up of Lotto America. The first draw of Powerball took place in 1992. Since then it has won over the hearts of millions of players in the United States. Currently Powerball tickets are sold in 47 states, so in almost all of the United States. You can claim the Powerball numbers a year after the draw. However, some states use different dates, so always take a good luck. A part of the revenue of Powerball goes to the state. They use the money for whatever they want. Most of the time schools and educational organizations benefit from the amount of money the most.
Changes to Powerball
In the past two years the Powerball jackpots have risen to great heights. The starting Jackpot is an exciting 40.000.000 dollars. So winning participants are rewarded with huge amounts of money. Some elements of the lottery have changed though. For example, since 2015 ten numbers were added to the main ball pool. It now has 69 numbers you choose of. On the other hand, the Powerball pool now has 26 numbers instead of 35. So it actually means that the odds of winning the Jackpot is 1 to 292 million at the moment. The chance of winning any prize is decreased though, namely 1:24.87. The changes led to more Powerball millionaires. If you have guessed 5 correct numbers you win 1.000.000 million dollars. The chance of winning the minimum prize is still bigger. In that case you get a deposit of 4 dollars on your bank account.
How to play Powerball
Powerball is an incredibly popular lottery because it’s really easy to play. The only thing you have to do is purchase tickets at the Powerball retailer or online. Then you need to pick five regular numbers from a range of 1 to 69. You also have to choose the so-called ‘Powerball’ from a range of 1-26. With the Powerball you can win the Jackpot. The numbers all have to be different, but the order doesn’t matter. After picking the numbers you have to wait until Wednesday and Saturday evening at 10.59 p.m. On these exciting days the draws take place. You can check the winning numbers and the Powerball on television, but also online. The odds of winning a nice amount of money is 24:87. If you are that lucky, a Jackpot of more than 40.000.000 dollars might be yours! Think about all the things you could do with this money. You can claim the prize within the 180 days or next day online. You can just visit the internet page of Powerball to see the latest results of the draw.
Big payout with the Powerball number
The revenue of the Powerball ticket is divided in 2 parts. 50 % is meant for prizes and the other 50 % goes to the place where the ticket was purchased. So to win one of the bigger prizes you need to having matching numbers with the draw. The Powerball number is the most important decision actually. This prize starts with 4 dollars, and you only need to guess two other numbers correctly to get a big payout. Good luck!
The Power Play
Perhaps you’re dreaming of an even bigger prize in the Powerball. In that case the Power Play option is a very good choice, because it multiplies prizes. Normally, well actually on the luckiest day of your live, you win 1.000.000 dollars when you have 5 matching numbers. With the Power Play this huge prize is doubled into 2.000.000 dollars. Speaking about the luckiest day in your life!
Matching numbers and odds of winning
The Power Play option multiplies prizes two, three, four, five or ten times. Even the lowest price of 4 dollars can turn into 40 dollars with the Power Play option. This is a good amount of money to begin with. Perhaps you’ll win the Jackpot later. There is no multiplier for the highest Jackpot by the way, but no one regrets that. However, the 10x multiplier is applied when the Jackpot is below 150 million dollars or with an amount under 50.000 dollars.
A short overview of odds of winning when you have matching numbers and the odds of winning:
- Matching numbers Prize Odds of winning
- 5 and Powerball Jackpot 1:292,201,338.00
- 5 1.000.000 dollars 1: 11,688,053.52
- 4 and Powerball 50,000 dollars 1 in 913,129.18
- 4 100 dollars 1 in 36,525.17
- 3 and Powerball 100 dollars 1 in 14,494.11
- 3 7 dollars 1 in 579.76
- 2 and Powerball 7 dollars 1:701.33
- 1 and Powerball 4 dollars 1: 91.98
- Only Powerball 4 dollars 1: 38.32
A very special moment
Sometimes special things happen during a lottery. March 2005 was such a moment, in which 110 players were lucky enough to have 5 winning numbers, without the Powerball. The numbers 22, 28, 32, 33 and 39 made them millionaires, because a Jackpot of 20 million dollars was paid out. Incredibly enough a company from New York had printed six numbers on their ‘fortune cookies’. Believe it or not, but these were Powerball numbers! Speaking about lucky numbers. Only the Powerball number of 42 wasn’t drawn. It appeared that the Powerball number was 40 instead. It clearly shows that a Fortune Cookie can really change your life.
Which payment option do you have?
Over the years some people were incredibly lucky in Powerball Lottery. They won millions of dollars and their lives changed forever. After the win they had to decide if they wanted an ‘annuity payment’ or a ‘cash lump sum payment’. Both options have their pros and cons. With an annuity payment you receive 30 payments in total, one immediately and one payment for every 29 years. So you receive your total amount of money in 30 years.
Cash or annuity?
Cash lump sump means that you get the cash immediately. This is an advantage when you immediately want to have a luxurious lifestyle. On the other hand, you need to pay taxes over the total amount of money. So it’s up to you what you want do to with the money.
With annuity it’s possible to invest the cash pre-tax, which is a big difference with the other option. Not everyone likes this sort of payment because it doesn’t give them enough to afford a more expensive lifestyle. The lottery has solved this problem partly by increasing the annual payment with 5 % every year.
Multiply your winnings with Power Play
In many states it’s possible to multiply your winners with the so-called ‘Power Play ‘ option. It increases your winnings, except for the Jackpot. This extra option on your Powerball ticket only costs 1 dollar more. You can win a very big prize with it, despite the fact that you might not have all the matching numbers. It’s even possible to win 2 million dollars in cash when you have 5 matching numbers ánd the PowerPlay option!
Winners gallery Powerball lottery
This are the first winners of 2019 in the Powerball lotto
BISMARCK, ND – A Powerball Pick & Click online play ticket bought in North Dakota for that Saturday night draw, The month of january 12, 2019, matched all five white-colored balls, which makes it worth $a million. The winning figures were 7, 36, 48, 57, 58, and also the Powerball was 24. The Ability Play multiplier was 2.
The month of january 14, 2019
CHARLESTON, W.Veterans administration. – Stanis Tabler of Charles Town is West Virginia’s latest $a million champion in the popular Powerball™ game. Tabler matched five figures and missed just the Powerball number within the Wednesday, The month of january 9, Powerball drawing.
Tabler, an expert driver who admittedly rarely plays Powerball™, purchased his lucky ticket in the South Finish BP on Winchester Avenue in Martinsburg on impulse that began his year off right.
