Powerball
The jackpot and every prize tier, based on the current game matrix
Updated
Quick answer: the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338 per ticket, and the odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.9.
Calculate your own odds →Odds per single ticket for the main drawing, rounded to the nearest whole number. Prize amounts can change with game rules and add-ons, so confirm current amounts at powerball.com.
| Match | Prize | Odds | Chance per ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Powerball | Jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 | 0.000000342% |
| 5 | $1,000,000 | 1 in 11,688,053 | 0.000009% |
| 4 + Powerball | $50,000 | 1 in 913,129 | 0.000110% |
| 4 | $100 | 1 in 36,525 | 0.002738% |
| 3 + Powerball | $100 | 1 in 14,494 | 0.006899% |
| 3 | $7 | 1 in 580 | 0.172% |
| 2 + Powerball | $7 | 1 in 701 | 0.143% |
| 1 + Powerball | $4 | 1 in 92 | 1.09% |
| Powerball only | $4 | 1 in 38 | 2.63% |
Powerball players pick 5 white balls from 69 and 1 red Powerball from 26. There are C(69,5) = 11,238,513 ways to choose the white balls, and multiplying by 26 gives 292,201,338 possible combinations, so the jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338.
Other tiers work the same way. To win the second prize you match all five white balls but miss the Powerball, which can happen in 25 of the 26 Powerball outcomes: 292,201,338 ÷ 25 is about 11,688,053, or roughly 1 in 11,688,053.
Optional add-ons change the prizes, not the odds of matching the numbers. Power Play multiplies non-jackpot prizes, and Double Play adds a second drawing with its own prizes and odds. The table above covers the main drawing. See the Double Play results for that game.
Before October 2015 Powerball used 59 white balls and 35 red balls, which made the jackpot odds 1 in 175,223,510 (5,006,386 × 35). The move to 69 white and 26 red made the jackpot much harder to hit, now 1 in 292,201,338, while the odds of winning any prize improved. Older articles quoting the previous numbers are out of date.
Approximate odds, treating each ticket as an independent play. Cost uses the $2 ticket price.
| Tickets | Cost | Jackpot odds | Chance of any prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ticket | $2 | about 1 in 292,201,338 | 4.0% |
| 10 tickets | $20 | about 1 in 29,220,134 | 33.6% |
| 156 tickets (one every drawing for a year) | $312 | about 1 in 1,873,086 | 99.8% |
| 1,000 tickets | $2,000 | about 1 in 292,201 | >99.9% |
Want a different number of tickets or weeks? Use the odds calculator.
Per ticket, the Powerball jackpot odds (1 in 292,201,338) are slightly worse than Mega Millions' (1 in 290,472,336). Price changes the picture: a Powerball ticket costs $2 and a Mega Millions ticket $5, so the same money buys about 2.5 times more Powerball jackpot chances. Neither game is a good bet in the financial sense; both are best treated as entertainment. See the full comparison in Powerball vs. Mega Millions, or the Mega Millions odds page.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338 per ticket. You need to match all five white balls (from 69) and the red Powerball (from 26).
The overall odds of winning some prize are about 1 in 24.9 per ticket. Most of those wins are the smallest tiers, such as matching only the Powerball.
Matching all five white balls but not the Powerball wins the $1 million second prize, at odds of 1 in 11,688,053 per ticket.
Yes. In October 2015 the game moved from 59 white balls and 35 red balls to 69 white and 26 red. That raised the jackpot odds from 1 in 175,223,510 to 1 in 292,201,338 but improved the odds of winning any prize.
No. Power Play changes the size of non-jackpot prizes, and it does not change the odds of matching the numbers or the jackpot odds. Double Play is a separate optional second drawing with its own prizes and its own odds.
Per ticket, the Mega Millions jackpot odds (1 in 290,472,336) are slightly better than Powerball's (1 in 292,201,338). But a Powerball ticket costs $2 versus $5, so the same money buys about 2.5 times more Powerball jackpot chances.
Your chance rises in direct proportion to the tickets you buy, but it starts from a tiny number. Even 1,000 tickets leave you at roughly 1 in 292,201 for the jackpot.