Powerball hardly needs an introduction as the producer of some of the largest jackpots ever seen on the face of the Earth. Lottery players can buy Powerball tickets online in some states and in-person in many others, resulting in widespread availability and progressive jackpots capable of exceeding $2 billion.

Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and is available in 45 states plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Wednesday and Sunday with a jackpot that starts at $40 million but that often reaches well into the hundreds of millions.

Powerball Lottery Sites

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Where To Buy Powerball Online

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The legality of online Powerball sales is determined at the state level. Players in a select number of states may either buy Powerball tickets online through the official state lottery website or through the Jackpocket app, which is a third-party service approved in a handful of states.

The following state lotteries sell Powerball tickets directly through their official websites and mobile apps. Readers can follow the links below to visit the state lottery directly to get started today.

Additionally, the Jackpocket online lottery app is authorized to purchase tickets on behalf of customers in the following states:

Players in these states can download the Jackpocket app for iOS here.

How Powerball Works

Powerball is a progressive jackpot draw game with a top prize that starts at $40 million and grows by at least $10 million every drawing until there is a grand prize winner.

It is common for many weeks to pass between jackpot winners and thereby push the jackpot to nine and even ten-figure territory. In the meantime, many secondary prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million are awarded.

Powerball tickets cost $2.00 each with an optional Power Play feature that can be activated for an additional $1.00.

On each ticket, players select five numbers ranging from 1-69 that correspond to white balls that will be drawn later plus one red Powerball number ranging from 1-26. Players may also elect to receive randomly chosen numbers.

After that’s done, players need only wait for the next drawing.

Powerball Drawings

Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET.

Players can watch Powerball online at the Powerball YouTube channel or see this page for a listing of TV stations by state.

Powerball Jackpots And Prizes

Every Wednesday and Saturday evening, Powerball draws five white balls out of 69 and one red ball out of 26 to determine that drawing’s winners.

After all the balls have been drawn, Powerball randomly selects a multiplier factor that multiplies all non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x. A multiplier is selected for every drawing, but the 10x multiplier is only possible when the current jackpot is $150 million or less.

At this point, players can compare their tickets to the results to see if they have won anything from one of the nine prize levels detailed below based on the number of matches. Those who buy Powerball tickets online will also receive a notification for any prizes won.

# of MatchesPrize2x Power Play3x Power Play4x Power Play5x Power Play10x Power Play
Powerball (PB) only$4$8$12$16$20$40
1 + PB$4$8$12$16$20$40
2 + PB$7$14$21$28$35$70
3$7$14$21$28$35$70
3 + PB$100$200$300$400$500$1,000
4$100$200$300$400$500$1,000
4 + PB$50,000$100,000$150,000$200,000$250,000$500,000
5$1 million$2 million$2 million$2 million$2 million$2 million
5 + PBJackpotJackpotJackpotJackpotJackpotJackpot

Odds Of Winning Powerball

The odds of winning any prize from a single Powerball ticket are 1 in 24.87 while the odds of winning the grand prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

The odds of hitting each winning combination are as follows:

ResultOdds
Powerball (PB) only1 in 38.32
1 + PB1 in 91.98
2 + PB1 in 701.33
31 in 579.76
3 + PB1 in 14,494.11
41 in 36,525.17
4 + PB1 in 913,129.18
51 in 11,688,053.52
5 + PB1 in 292,201,338

How Secondary Prizes Are Paid

The process for claiming winnings varies from state to state depending on the amount won. Typically, players who purchased their Powerball tickets in person can claim prizes up to $600 at any authorized retailer. Meanwhile, online lottery sites automatically credit prizes of $600 or less directly to customers’ accounts.

Prizes greater than $600 may require contacting the state lottery for further instructions. This may involve filling out a claim form and visiting a lottery office in-person.

How The Grand Prize Is Paid

Powerball winners can contact their state lottery for instructions on claiming their prize. In all states, winners have the option to take an immediate lump sum payment that is paid all at once or an annuity that is paid in annual installments over a period of 29 years.

The lump sum amount is paid based on the amount of money Powerball has on hand from ticket sales minus federal and state income tax withholding amounts.

Choosing the lump sum option results in an immediate payout of the entire cash value prize. This amount is smaller than the advertised jackpot because the entire lump sum is paid all at once and misses out on 29 years of interest earnings that would have accumulated under the annuity option.

The annuity payment option is paid in 30 annual installments over a course of 29 years and ultimately results in a larger total payout relative to the cash payment option. Winners who choose this option receive an annual payment that increases by 5% per year.

The annuity option pays more over the long run because the remaining cash value of the Powerball prize is invested in securities that accumulate interest. Annuity payments are guaranteed for 29 years, but the total sum is just as estimate based on projected interest rates.

Annuity payments are guaranteed for 29 years, even if the winner dies during that time. In that case, the remaining annuity payments go to the winner’s estate and are usually passed on to the winner’s heirs.

Powerball Jackpot Records

Powerball competes neck-and-neck with Mega Millions for record-breaking payouts but currently holds the record for the all-time biggest jackpot ever paid in the USA ($2.04 billion).

Of the 10 largest Powerball jackpots ever paid, not one clocks in at under half a billion.

The largest Powerball jackpot of all time occurred in November 2022, when Edwin Castro won the $2.04 billion jackpot from a ticket he purchased in Altadena, California. He opted for the lump sum payout of $997.6 million (pretax).

The second-largest Powerball jackpot of all time also occurred in California, just a year after Edwin Castro’s historic win. A single ticket purchased in Frazier Park, California won the $1.765 billion jackpot, which would translate to a $774.1 million lump sum payment before taxes.

On January 13, 2016, three winning tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee split the first $1 billion+ Powerball jackpot three ways. Each winner walked away with $528.8 million.

In March 2019, 24-year-old Manuel Franco of Wisconsin won the then-largest Powerball jackpot ever paid to a single winner. He took the $477 million lump sum payment and told reporters he had no plans to ever play Powerball again.

A 53-year-old Massachusetts resident won the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot ever paid in 2017.

Mavis Wanczyk explained in a press conference that she had purchased three Powerball tickets that day, two with random quick-pick numbers and one with numbers she chose herself. The ticket with the numbers she chose herself ended up being the winner.

Two tickets sold in Iowa and New York split a jackpot worth nearly $690 million in 2018. Each winner was given the choice of an annuity payout of $343.9 million or a lump sum payment of $198.1 million.

The seventh-largest Powerball jackpot ever recorded occurred in 2013 and was won by an 84-year-old Florida woman. She later revealed she purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket after another customer allowed her to jump ahead in line.

Two tickets purchased in Arizona and Missouri split the 2012 $587.5 million Powerball jackpot, which was the second largest ever at the time.

In 2015, three winning tickets split a $564.1 million jackpot prize. The cash value option for each winner worked out to about $127 million apiece.

An anonymous winner in 2018 claimed the nearly $560 million Powerball jackpot through a trust, opted for a $264 million lump-sum payment and immediately donate $250,000 to various charities, with plans to continue philanthropy activities moving forward.

States That Participate In Powerball

Most state lotteries are members of the MUSL, and even some non-MUSL members participate as well. Today, Powerball tickets can be purchased in 45 states plus Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The only states in which Powerball is not available are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

The full list of states with Powerball sales includes:

  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • 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
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Powerball FAQ

The minimum age to buy Powerball tickets in the US is 18, with the exception of Mississippi where the minimum age to play is 21.

The legality of online lottery sales is determined by each state.

A handful of states allow online Powerball sales directly though the official lottery website and mobile app and a few other states authorize the Jackpocket app to purchase Powerball tickets on behalf of residents.

See the top of this page for a full list of states where it is legal to buy Powerball online.

A number of states that do not yet offer online ticket sales have authorized Jackpocket to serve as a courier service, which allows customers to place orders for Powerball tickets online.

Some offshore websites purport to sell lottery tickets online to all US residents, but those websites are unregulated and operate contrary to US law.

In the few states that do not have a lottery at all, there is no way to legally purchase Powerball tickets online. Customers in those states may only purchase tickets when visiting a state that does have a lottery.

No. All players of legal age are welcome to play Powerball, whether in the US or in authorized jurisdictions outside the country.

This varies by state. Winners in some states may remain anonymous or claim prizes through a trust, but most states require identification of winners in order to maintain transparency and ensure the public that prizes are paid as advertised.

Last call for tickets varies by state, but generally, players may purchase Powerball tickets up until one or two hours ahead of the next drawing.