What makes the US Powerball the biggest lottery in the world? Its prizes, of course. In fact, it holds the record for the highest lottery jackpot ever awarded in the world with its $2.04 billion prize. But don’t think that the excitement stops here!
Just take a look at the Powerball top winners to see the amazing amounts that the first prize has reached over the years. There are also another eight Powerball prizes that have made millions of players very rich!
Powerball Jackpot
The US Powerball offers an enormous jackpot every single time! The starting amount is $20 million and it only goes up from here. With every draw when the Powerball jackpot is not won, it gets bigger. Unlike many other lotteries, the US Powerball does not have a jackpot cap, so there is no limit to how big the first prize can get. This is how it managed to reach the mouth-watering amounts it is famous for. All you have to do to win it is to play Powerball and match the 5 main numbers and the Powerball!
Powerball’s record jackpot
The Powerball record jackpot is $2.04 billion! It was won by a single ticket sold in Altadena, California on November 7, 2022. Edwin Castro is the lucky winner of this amazing Powerball prize which is known as the largest jackpot for a single ticket and the largest cash value for a single ticket in the history of lotteries around the world.
How much is the Powerball jackpot worth?
Powerball Prize Divisions
There are nine Powerball prize categories in total. This means that even if you don’t match all the 5 main numbers and the Powerball number, there are still a lot of other prizes you can scoop in the game.
In the table below, you can see how many of the winning numbers you need to match to win each of the Powerball prizes as well as how much you stand to win. These are the Powerball prize divisions:
| Prize Divisions | Match | Prize | Prize with Power Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st prize | 5 + PB | Jackpot | Jackpot |
| 2nd prize | 5 | $1 million | $2 million |
| 3rd prize | 4 + PB | $50,000 | $100,000 – $500,000 |
| 4th prize | 4 | $100 | $200 – $1000 |
| 5th prize | 3+PB | $100 | $200 – $1000 |
| 6th prize | 3 | $7 | $14 – $70 |
| 7th prize | 2+PB | $7 | $14 – $70 |
| 8th prize | 1+PB | $4 | $8 – $40 |
| 9th prize | 0+PB | $4 | $8 – $40 |
Larger Powerball prizes with the Power Play
As you can see in the table above, Powerball’s huge prizes can get even bigger if you add the Power Play multiplier to your ticket. For an additional $1.00 fee per ticket, you can double the $1 million second prize and increase the other secondary prizes in the game by 2, 3, 4, or 5.
The multiplier is drawn separately after the main numbers and Powerball are chosen and it increases the secondary prizes every single time. When the jackpot is lower than $150 million, a 10x Power Play multiplier is added into the mix to make the excitement even bigger!
Your odds of winning each Powerball Prize
Every time you play, you have one chance in 292,201,338 to win the Powerball jackpot. While these odds are quite difficult to beat, Powerball’s first prize is certainly worth taking a chance.
For the second prize, you have a 1 in 111,668,053 chance of winning and becoming a millionaire. The odds of winning get better with the following Powerball prizes.
In the table below, you can see the full list of winning odds for each of the Powerball prizes.
| Prize Divisions | Match | Prize | Winning Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st prize | 5 + PB | Jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| 2nd prize | 5 | $1 million | 1 in 111,688,053 |
| 3rd prize | 4 + PB | $50,000 | 1 in 913,129 |
| 4th prize | 4 | $100 | 1 in 36,525 |
| 5th prize | 3+PB | $100 | 1 in 14,494 |
| 6th prize | 3 | $7 | 1 in 579 |
| 7th prize | 2+PB | $7 | 1 in 701 |
| 8th prize | 1+PB | $4 | 1 in 92 |
| 9th prize | 0+PB | $4 | 1 in 38 |
Powerball Prizes FAQ
People have a lot of questions about the Powerball prizes, so we’ve gathered the most frequent ones and answered them. Here is everything you need to know:
To win the first prize in the Powerball lottery, you have to guess all the 5 main numbers and the Powerball.
Yes, if you only match the Powerball number, then you win the 9th prize category, which is worth $4.00.
To win a US Powerball prize you have to match at least the Powerball number. This will earn you the last prize category worth $4.00. If you match one of the main numbers and the Powerball number, then you win the 8th prize category, also worth $4.00.
From the draw date, you have 187 days to collect all secondary prizes in the US Powerball. The period is shorter than that for the first prize and it may vary from one US state to another. If you win any Powerball prize, we advise you to contact the lottery operators to find out more about what you have to do.
Don’t forget! For winning any of the astonishing Powerball prizes all you need to do is buy lottery tickets for the game. If you live outside the US, you can purchase them online on theLotter. The more tickets you have the more chances you get at winning. Follow the Powerball results and claim your prize!