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Odds of Winning Powerball
Powerball offers 10 ways to win prizes in every draw, including a jackpot that can run into the billions. The table below outlines all the different prize categories, along with the amount you win.
| Prize Category | UK Prize |
|---|---|
| 5 Main Numbers + Powerball | Jackpot paid over 30 years |
| 5 Main Numbers | £1 million |
| 4 Main Numbers + Powerball | £33,000* |
| 4 Main Numbers | £1,000* |
| 3 Main Numbers + Powerball | £500* |
| 3 Main Numbers | £52.10* |
| 2 Main Numbers + Powerball | £30.80* |
| 1 Main Number + Powerball | £15.30* |
| Powerball | £11.90* |
| 2 Main Numbers | £8 |
*Estimated prize
Go to the odds of winning page to see your chances of success in each of the prize tiers.
The Jackpot
The jackpot starts at around £12 million (converted from the fixed $20 million that is the base amount for players in the U.S.). To win, you must match all five main numbers and the Powerball. It rolls over every time it is not won and there is no limit to how high it can grow. The jackpot has regularly gone into 10 figures over the past few years.
The advertised jackpot is the annuity amount – the total that will be paid out over 30 years. It is paid out annually, so there is one instalment immediately when the winner comes forward and has their claim validated, followed by another 29 payments on a yearly basis.
These annuity payments are graduated, so they increase in value each year to factor in the profits that are made by the lottery investing the money. If a winner dies, the remainder of the money is paid out to their estate.
Non-Jackpot Prizes
If you match all five main numbers and just miss out on the Powerball, you win a fixed prize of £1 million (subject to prize capping if there is an unusually high number of winners in this tier). There is also a set prize of £8 for matching just two main numbers without the Powerball. This prize category is exclusive to the UK and boosts the overall odds of winning. In other words, if you buy a ticket in the U.S. and match two numbers, you do not get a prize.
Al the other prize amounts are determined on a pari-mutuel basis and the values in the table above are estimates.
How Prizes are Funded
Prizes are funded by ticket sales. For the jackpot, sales from every ticket sold in the UK and the U.S. (where it is played in 45 states and three other jurisdictions) go towards the same shared prize. This is the reason why it can grow so quickly - because there are so many players contributing to the prize pot.
Non-jackpot prizes are administered in the UK by the National Lottery. A separate prize fund is required, only using money generated from ticket sales in the UK. Apart from the two fixed prizes (Match 5 and Match 2), a percentage of the prize fund is allocated to each of the other categories and then each portion is split between winners. Prize amounts therefore vary from draw to draw, depending on how much money is in the pot and the number of winners.
