Powerball how many numbers to win something

Powerball is a multi-state lottery in the United States that only does not operate in five states of the United States.

Since 1992, it replaced the Lotto America lottery and became the first lottery game to use two drums to draw winners.

One drum contains 69 white balls, while the other drum contains 26 red balls. Only one red ball is drawn, and that red ball is called Powerball.

Now, Powerball offers a jackpot or prize, which increases every time there is a drawing where no jackpot winning ticket was sold.

How to win Powerball?

To win the jackpot, whoever participates by buying a ticket must match all five white balls, plus the red Powerball.

When purchasing a ticket, a participant must select five numbers, which are drawn from the first drum with the white balls, and one Powerball number.

In this sense, the winning Powerball number will be drawn from the second drum with the red balls.

The order of the first five Powerball numbers does not affect your chances of winning. If you choose the Powerball numbers 1 3 9 13 17 and 6, and the winning numbers are 17 9 1 3 13 (6), you will still win the jackpot. However, you must match the Powerball to win the jackpot.

One lucky winner snagged a winning ticket in the Powerball lottery's record-breaking $2.04 billion jackpot in an unprecedented November 2022 drawing. 

Lottery officials announced a winning ticket for the November 8 drawing was purchased in Los Angeles County, California. 

The hefty prize is the largest pool in the game's 30-year history after more than three months of consecutive drawings passed without a winner since early August 2022. 

But even if the billion-dollar jackpot evaded you then, there are several other ways to emerge richer in future games. For the uninitiated Powerball players who decide to impulsively purchase a ticket, we're here 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 three times per week. Every Monday, 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:

• Match all 5 white numbers only — $1 million
• Match 4 out of 5 white numbers + Powerball — $50,000
• Match 4 white numbers only — $100
• Match 3 white numbers + Powerball — $100
• Match 3 white numbers only — $7
• Match 2 white numbers + Powerball — $7
• Match 1 white number + Powerball — $4
• Powerball only — $4

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. 

The 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. 

Editor's note: This story was first published in January 2016 and has been updated to reflect recent developments.