With an estimated $1.2 billion Powerball lottery up for grabs on Wednesday night, even those who don't normally play the lottery are throwing their hats in the ring. The hefty prize, if claimed this week, would be the second-largest pool in the game's 30-year history after 38 consecutive drawings were made without a winner since August. If won, the prize would also be the fourth-largest jackpot in US lottery history. But even if the billion dollar jackpot evades you, there are several other ways to emerge richer. For the uninitiated Powerball players who may have impulsively purchased a ticket, we decided to break down all the possible ways you can win. You know, just in case. First, the basics: The Powerball lotto is made up of six total numbers randomly selected twice per week. Every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EST, a live drawing is held. All the numbers are printed on white or red balls and placed into an automated machine, which spits out the winning digits. The first five numbers (white) are between 1 and 69. The final number (red) is called the Powerball. It can be anywhere between 1 and 26. When purchasing a ticket, players can select all six numbers themselves or do a "quick pick" and receive a randomly generated set of numbers. Tickets are $2 each, but you can pay an extra $1 at the time of purchase to upgrade your ticket to "Power Play." The "Power Play" add-on means your cash prize will, at minimum, double if you have a winning ticket for anything other than the grand prize jackpot. So, what exactly are the winning tickets (aside from the jackpot)? The possible winning tickets and their cash prizes are as follows:
The "Power Play" bonus is announced at the drawing time and does not apply to the jackpot winnings. If you've matched all five white numbers and selected "Power Play" at the time of your ticket purchase, you will win $2 million (instead of the standard $1 million). For all other prizes, the "Power Play" bonus will either be 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x your winnings. Overall odds of winning any of the prizes starting at $4 is 1 in 24.87. But the chance of walking away with the jackpot is much slimmer: 1 in 292 million. On the off-chance you do take home a lump sum, don't forget to hire a lawyer. Most states give players at least 180 days to come forward. The next Powerball drawing takes place Wednesday, November 19, at 10:59 p.m. EST. Editor's note: This story was first published in January 2016 and has been updated to reflect recent developments.
Kim is an entertainment correspondent for Insider. She's best known as Insider's resident "Game of Thrones" analyst, and is the author of "The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones." Kim has moderated panels for the annual Con of Thrones fan convention and has made guest appearances on podcasts including "Night's Cast," "Bald Move," and "Game of Owns." She is now the co-host of the "House of the Dragon" unofficial recap podcast "A Cast of Kings."Kim also covers other sci-fi and fantasy series, including "Stranger Things," "Westworld" and more. H Kim graduated from Hunter College with a degree in cultural anthropology. Read more Read less
Erin Snodgrass is a reporter for Insider. Before joining Insider, Erin was an intern with InvestigateTV and Česká televize. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2020. Her work has also been published in The Olympian and on Nola.com. She can be reached by email at or on Twitter as @erinsnod. Read more Read less
Powerball® tickets print the white ball numbers in numerical order of a given play. You can match the white ball numbers in any order of a given play to win a prize. The red Powerball number of a given play on your ticket must match the red Powerball drawn. Each play on a ticket is separately determined; players
cannot crisscross play lines on a ticket or combine numbers from other tickets. Search ResultKeep Up With the Winning Numbers in Powerball! Sign up for the free email newsletter and keep track of where the Powerball jackpot is headed. Thank You for Signing Up for our Newsletter! |
Do you win anything if you just have the powerball number
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