The Ultimate Guide to Winning the US Powerball Jackpot

American Powerball is the most popular lottery game in the world, and is most famous for its record-breaking, billion-dollar jackpots. In November 2022, Powerball set a massive new world record when it became the first draw game to cross the US$2 billion threshold, awarding a staggering US$2.04 billion top prize to a single lucky ticket. Luckily, you too can participate in this exciting lotto by purchasing Powerball tickets online!

Table of Contents:

• Powerball Rules

• Powerball Jackpots and other Prizes

• Can You Play Powerball from Overseas?

• What Are the Odds of Winning the Powerball Jackpot?

• Improve Your Odds of Winning the Powerball

• Biggest Powerball Jackpots of All Time

• Top 5 Powerball Jackpots in History

• Is It Possible for Powerball Winners to Stay Anonymous?

• Comparison of Powerball and Mega Millions

• Powerball Lotteries around the World

• History of the Powerball

• theLotter's Powerball Winners

• Powerball Play Options at theLotter

It is difficult, but certainly not impossible, to win the Powerball jackpot. Of course you have to play the game to have a chance of winning. And if you want an edge on winning, read the following in-depth informative guide which just may help you win the biggest lottery prize in the world!

Powerball Rules

To play the US Powerball you need to pick five numbers from a range of 1-69 and an additional Powerball number from a range of 1-26. The lottery has nine prize divisions and a multiplier feature called the Power Play that can increase secondary prizes as high as ten times. The Powerball jackpot (matching the five main numbers as well as the additional Powerball), starts at  an estimated US$20 million and continues to roll over until it is eventually won. Powerball draws take place three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Powerball Jackpots and other Prizes

* The Power Play number multiplies the prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X. The 10X multiplier is only possible with jackpots of US$150 million or less.

Powerball prizes start at US$4 for matching just the Powerball and the sky’s the limit for how high the Powerball jackpot can climb as there is no jackpot cap. Even if you don’t win the top prize, you can still be a huge Powerball winner. Match the five numbers drawn and you will win the second division prize and become an instant millionaire!

When you add the Power Play option to your tickets you can increase your non-jackpot prizes. Your prize is multiplied 2 to 10 times, depending on the Power Play number chosen randomly for that draw. The 10X multiplier is only possible with jackpots of US$150 million or less. No matter what Power Play multiplier is selected, the maximum second prize is US$2 million instead of the usual US$1 million.

Powerball jackpot winners have the option to take their prize as an annuity or as a one-time lump sum payment. Most winning players select the lump sum payment option, possibly because getting it all at once seems like a lot more money.

If the annuity option is chosen, the winner is guaranteed to receive 30 graduated payments over 29 years. The annual payments increase by 5% each year until the 30th and final payment is made. The 30 payments together are equal to the total value of the annuity.

Read additional information that will help you decide whether to take Powerball's lump sum or annuity when you win the jackpot.

Lottery prizes won in the United States are subject to taxation at both the state and federal level and the US lottery tax for foreigners are fixed at higher rate than inhabitants of the participating states themselves. Furthermore, you may be liable for taxation in the country where you live. For more information on the taxes you may be liable for when you win big Powerball prizes, check the US Powerball results page.

As a result of these tax deductions, the amount that Powerball jackpot winners actually receive is much less than the advertised jackpot.

Can You Play Powerball from Overseas?

When you see that Powerball is offering a jackpot worth hundreds of millions of dollars, you probably wonder "can you play Powerball from another country?", especially if you are not an American citizen. Luckily, it's perfectly safe and legal to buy lottery tickets online!

According to the official Powerball rules, anyone can “purchase a Powerball ticket...play the game and...collect prizes.” And more than that, the Powerball website clearly states that “you do not have to be a [US] citizen or a resident to play the game".

That leaves you with one small problem. You probably can’t afford, and certainly don’t have the time, to travel to the United States to purchase Powerball tickets. Luckily, that’s where theLotter comes in.

Instead of paying an arm and a leg on travel expenses, the cost of buying a Powerball ticket at theLotter is a simply the cost of the official lottery ticket in addition to a small service fee to keep our operation running. When you purchase official Powerball tickets here, our local agents in the United States will buy tickets on your behalf. When you win a prize, it is entirely yours as commissions aren't taken from winning tickets.

The system works, as you can see in the stories of our many lucky lottery winners. See below for the stories of our biggest Powerball winners. In addition, read about our biggest overseas lottery winners: A man from Iraq won US$6.4 million playing Oregon Megabucks in August 2015 and a woman from Panama won a US$30 million Florida Lotto jackpot in July 2017.

What Are the Odds of Winning the Powerball Jackpot?

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot seem stacked against you (1 in 292 million!) and Powerball certainly doesn’t have the best jackpot odds, but somebody eventually wins the lottery’s incredible prize. You can win Powerball prizes even if you don’t win the jackpot as there are nine prize divisions in total. The odds of winning a Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9, and that doesn’t change if the jackpot up for grabs is US$20 million or US$1 billion.

Improve Your Odds of Winning the Powerball

Is there a guaranteed way to win the Powerball jackpot? Of course not, but there are ways to increase your chances of winning. The first one is quite obvious. You have to play the game if you want to win. Purchasing Powerball tickets is just a click away.

We have prepared for you a full list of methods to help you improve your odds of winning the US Powerball lottery. Good luck in the next draw!

Biggest Powerball Jackpots of All Time

Top 5 Powerball Jackpots in History

• 7 November 2022 - Edwin Castro won an unprecedented US$2.04 billion jackpot after a 40-draw rollover streak. This extraordinary win broke all previous lottery records and is the only jackpot in the world to surpass the US$2 billion mark!

• 11 October 2023 – A US$1.765 billion jackpot was won by a collective, with Theodorus Struyck named as the group representative. The winning ticket was purchased in Frazier Park, California. This unbelievable prize is now the second-biggest jackpot in the world and the second billion-dollar Powerball jackpot won in 2023. The lucky winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64, and the Powerball was 10.

• 13 January 2016 – A world-record jackpot of US$1.586 billion is shared by three ticket holders: Marvin and Mae Acosta from California; Lisa and John Robinson from Tennessee; and the Nickel 95 Trust from Florida (the trustee is Maureen Smith). Each of the winners elects to take a lump sum cash payment of US$327,835,000.

• 6 April 2024 – Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, a Portland man became the recipient of a whopping US$1.326 billion prize after matching all five numbers plus the Powerball. The winner chose to share the jackpot with his wife Duanpen Saephan and friend Laiza Chao. All three opted for the cash option, which totals US$422,309,193.97 after taxes.

• 19 July 2023 – Yanira Alvarez from Los Angeles, California secured a US$1.08 billion Powerball jackpot (US$558.1 million cash) prize by matching all six drawn numbers: white balls 7, 10, 11, 13, 24 and red Powerball 24. Alvarez opted for the lump-sum cash payment. 

Click for more information about the biggest Powerball jackpots ever. Lottery fans everywhere are eager to play Powerball with hopes that it will soon offer a new record-breaking jackpot prize.

Is It Possible for Powerball Winners to Stay Anonymous?

Let’s say that you just won the Powerball jackpot! Congratulations! Publicizing your big lottery win might not be in your best interest and you’re probably wondering if your name needs to be made public. Powerball rules regarding staying anonymous depend on the rules of the state where the tickets were purchased.

There are legal ways to keep your Powerball windfall private but you should consult your lawyer for detailed information. And as can be seen in the court case of a New Hampshire jackpot winner in January 2018, despite that state’s lottery rules a judge ruled in the winner’s favour and allowed her to keep her identity private.

Read our informative article about staying anonymous when you win the lottery.

Comparison of Powerball and Mega Millions

The two leading American lottery games have a lot in common. They are both offered in most of the American states; their jackpots start out at an estimated US$20 million and can roll over to astronomical heights; and the odds of winning their jackpots are quite low. But when you compare Powerball with Mega Millions, you will see that there are significant differences between the two lotteries. The following table highlights some of those differences. Click to read detailed information about the Mega Millions lottery.

Powerball Lotteries around the World

The Powerball game format (main numbers plus an additional ‘Powerball’ number) is so popular that it has been copied by other lotteries around the world:

• The PowerBall South Africa  draws 5 main numbers from a range of 1-50 and 1 Powerball number from a range of 1-20. The SA Powerball has 9 prize categories. Draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays.

• Powerball Australia draws  7 main numbers from a range of 1 to 35 and a Powerball number from a range of 1 to 20. The Oz version of the Powerball has 8 prize categories and draws take place on Thursdays. See how the US Prize Divisions compare to the Australia Powerball division prizes.

• The NZ Powerball draws  6 main numbers from a range of 1 to 40 and a Powerball number from a range of 1 to 10. The NZ Powerball has 12 prize categories and draws take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays! Make sure to read our complete guide to New Zealand lotteries!!

History of the Powerball

The Powerball lottery was launched in April 1992, replacing Lotto America as the leading multi-state lottery. Powerball introduced a revolutionary two-drum format, enabling it to offer a higher jackpot and many more prize levels as winning odds were lower. In this format, even when a player matched just one number they would end up winning a prize.

Fifteen state lotteries participated in the first draw. Over the years additional lotteries began selling Powerball tickets and today they can be purchased in 45 states as well as the Virgin Islands, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. It is also possible to purchase Powerball tickets from anywhere in the world thanks to theLotter's online ticket messenger services.

Here are a few of the red letter days in Powerball's colourful history:

• 22 April 1992 - First Powerball draw held with a game matrix of 5/45 + 1/45. The jackpot on offer was US$6 million.

• 5 November 1997 - Game matrix changed to 5/49 + 1/42 and the starting jackpot raised to US$10 million.

• 7 March 2001 - Introduction of the Power Play number.

• 9 October 2002 - Game matrix changed to 5/53 + 1/42.

• 31 August 2005 - Game matrix changed to 5/55 + 1/42 and the starting jackpot raised to US$15 million.

• 7 January 2009 - Game matrix changed to 5/59 + 1/39 and the starting jackpot raised to US$20 million.

• 18 January 2012 - Game matrix changed to 5/59 + 1/35 and the starting jackpot raised to US$40 million.

• 7 October 2015 - Game matrix changed to 5/69 + 1/26.

• 13 January 2016 - Powerball set a new world record when it awarded US$1.586 billion jackpot, a prize split between three winning tickets.

• 23 August 2017 - Powerball awarded a US$758.7 million jackpot to a single ticket holder.

• 27 March 2019 - Powerball awarded a US$768.4 million jackpot to a single ticket holder.

• 20 April 2020 - The jackpot would be determined by ticket sales and interest rates and start at an estimated US$20 million.

• 23 August 2021 - An additional draw on Mondays joined the weekly lineup and an add-on feature called “Double Play” will give players in 13 jurisdictions a chance to match their Powerball numbers in a separate draw with a US$10 million top cash prize.

• 7 November 2022 - Powerball awards a US$2.04 billion jackpot to a single ticket holder, setting a new world record.

• 11 October 2023 - Powerball awarded a US$1.765 billion jackpot to a single ticket holder
  
  

Multiple Powerball Millionaires! In the Powerball draw on 23 January 2021, a US$23.2 million jackpot was won by a single ticket purchased in New Jersey, but in addition, there were 43 millionaires made in the draw. 43 tickets matched the five main numbers, and each was worth US$1 million or US$2 million. This was the largest number of millionaires created in a Powerball draw since the lottery's world record draw in January 2016. In that historic draw, there were 81 winning match 5 tickets.

theLotter's Powerball Winners

Scores of theLotter's players have won Powerball prizes over the years but unfortunately, none of them has yet won the Powerball jackpot. Even so, a number of players have become Powerball millionaires after they matched the five main numbers in a lucky draw. Read below to meet our biggest Powerball winners!

G. from Australia has been playing with theLotter since he discovered our ‘convenient and easy to use’ ticket purchasing service in 2003. He has scored more than 450 wins over the years, but all pale in comparison to the prize he won on 19 October 2016. Coming just one number away from winning the Powerball jackpot, G. was compensated with a very nice US$1 million second division prize. Read more about the Australian who won US$1 million playing the US Powerball online.

Like many other Canadians, P from Quebec started playing lotteries online through theLotter when the US Powerball jackpot hit US$1 billion. Luckily for P, he kept playing Powerball after the billion-dollar jackpot fell and won the US$1 million second prize on 27 February 2016! Read more about the Canadian who won US$1 million in the US Powerball online.

Another winner in the 2nd prize division of the US Powerball comes from Central America. On the eve of the record $1.6 billion Powerball, grandfather H. from El Salvador, a first-time lottery player on the site, won US$1 million. His first thought was that now he finally had enough money to go and visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren who live... in the United States of all places! Find out more about the El Salvador pensioner who won US$1 million in the US lottery online.

B.U., a theLotter player from London in the United Kingdom, won the 2nd division Powerball prize in 2012 and he collected his US$1 million prize in the United States. B.U was fascinated by the American Powerball lottery and played only a few times before his dreams became a reality. He became a millionaire overnight! Find out about our British Powerball winner.

For in-depth stories about all our champions, check the page dedicated to theLotter’s biggest winners.

Powerball Play Options at theLotter

There are many ways to play Powerball at theLotter!

Purchase one-time standard tickets and select the number of lines you want to play. Use a systematic form to play more numbers than a standard ticket. Choose your numbers manually or allow the computer to randomly select them in a quick pick. Boost your Powerball prize money by including the optional Power Play multiplier feature in your tickets.

Play more Powerball lines while spending less if you join a Powerball syndicate. Read the story about our prize-winning Powerball syndicate that won over US$100,000 in November 2017. Enjoy the benefits of a lottery syndicate while playing your own personal entry if you purchase a Powerball Bundle.

Never miss another Powerball draw when you take out a Powerball subscription. You can purchase a multi-draw package which lets you play your lucky numbers in multiple draws. There are plenty of benefits in multi-draw packages!

Good Luck Playing Powerball Online!

Like the classic lottery ad, we're all still dreaming of a Powerball jackpot. We hope we were able to answer all the questions about the biggest lottery on the planet! And we hope that this Powerball information will bring you one step closer to winning an amazing Powerball jackpot! Play Powerball today and good luck!