The Powerball powerplay is an optional feature that can increase the amount of non-jackpot prizes won in the Powerball lottery. When the powerplay is purchased for an extra $1 per play, it multiplies the normal prize amounts by the powerplay number drawn for that drawing.
What is the Powerball powerplay?
The Powerball powerplay is an add-on feature that can be purchased when buying a Powerball ticket. It costs an additional $1 per Powerball play. When the powerplay is purchased, it multiplies any non-jackpot prizes won in that drawing by the powerplay number drawn. So if you win a $50,000 prize and you purchased the powerplay, your prize could be multiplied up to 10 times to $500,000 if the powerplay number drawn was 10x.
The powerplay does not multiply the jackpot amount. It only increases the lower tier cash prizes from $4 up to $1 million. The powerplay is drawn from a pool of numbers 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 10x. The overall odds of winning any prize are improved when the powerplay is bought since the non-jackpot prizes have the potential to be multiplied by up to 10 times.
How does the Powerball powerplay work?
Here is how the Powerball powerplay works:
- When buying a Powerball ticket, you can choose to add the powerplay option for $1 per play.
- A separate powerplay number will be drawn from a pool of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 10x.
- If you win any non-jackpot prize in the Powerball drawing ranging from $4 up to $1 million and you bought the powerplay, your prize amount will be multiplied by the powerplay number.
- For example, if you win $50,000 and the powerplay number is 4x, your prize will be multiplied to $200,000.
- The jackpot prize is not eligible to be multiplied. Only the lower tier cash prizes can be increased by the powerplay.
- Overall odds of winning any prize improve from 1 in 24.9 to 1 in 24.8 by purchasing the powerplay since more prizes have the chance to be multiplied up.
In summary, the powerplay provides the opportunity to increase secondary Powerball prizes for an extra $1 per play. It acts as a prize multiplier, expanding the payout possibilities beyond just the jackpot.
What are the powerplay prize multipliers?
The powerplay numbers that can be drawn are:
- 2x
- 3x
- 4x
- 5x
- 10x
Except when the jackpot is under $150 million, then the 10x multiplier is replaced by a 10x jackpot multiplier instead. This ensures larger minimum jackpots when the top prize rolls over repeatedly.
The 2x, 3x, 4x, and 5x powerplay multipliers have a better chance of being drawn than the 10x. The following table shows the odds of each powerplay number being selected:
Powerplay Number | Odds of Being Drawn |
---|---|
2x | 29% |
3x | 15% |
4x | 15% |
5x | 15% |
10x | 26% |
As you can see, the lower multipliers have an overall higher probability of being selected. But the top 10x has a 1 in 4 chance of occurring to spice up the payouts.
What prizes can the powerplay increase?
The powerplay can multiply any non-jackpot Powerball prizes from $4 up to the $1 million second prize tier. Here are the Powerball prizes that can be increased by the powerplay:
- $4 prize can be multiplied up to $40
- $7 prize can be multiplied up to $70
- $100 prize can be multiplied up to $1,000
- $10,000 prize can be multiplied up to $100,000
- $50,000 prize can be multiplied up to $500,000
- $1 million prize can be multiplied up to $10 million
As you can see, even small $4 prizes can become $40, $70, or even the maximum of $80. And the second tier $1 million prize has the potential to become a huge $10 million if the 10x multiplier is drawn!
Jackpot Exceptions
The Powerball jackpot amount cannot be multiplied by the powerplay. The only exceptions are:
- If the jackpot is under $150 million, a 10x jacket multiplier is added to the powerplay pool.
- In rare cases, a guaranteed minimum starting jackpot may be offered that has a set cash value even if there are no sales.
In these situations, the advertised jackpot amount can be multiplied by 10x if that powerplay is drawn. But usually, the jackpot prize is not eligible and cannot be increased by the powerplay multiplier.
What are the odds of winning with the powerplay?
Here are the odds of winning a prize with the standard Powerball game compared to the odds when adding the powerplay.
Prize Tier | Odds of Winning with Standard Ticket | Odds of Winning with Powerplay |
---|---|---|
Jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1 in 292,201,338 |
$1 million | 1 in 11,688,053.52 | 1 in 11,750,538 |
$50,000 | 1 in 913,129.18 | 1 in 882,144 |
$100 | 1 in 36,525.17 | 1 in 35,494 |
$7 | 1 in 579.76 | 1 in 566 |
$4 | 1 in 91.98 | 1 in 89 |
Overall | 1 in 24.87 | 1 in 24.80 |
As you can see, the odds of winning the jackpot are the same whether the powerplay is purchased or not. But the overall odds of winning any prize improve slightly from 1 in 24.9 to 1 in 24.8 with the powerplay. This is because there are more chances of lower tier prizes being multiplied up to higher amounts.
Does the powerplay change jackpot odds?
The powerplay does not affect the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot. Those remain a constant 1 in 292 million whether the powerplay is purchased or not. This is because the jackpot amount itself is not eligible to be multiplied by the powerplay (except in special cases mentioned earlier).
So while the powerplay improves the overall odds of winning any prize to 1 in 24.8, it has no effect at all on the chances of hitting the jackpot. You still have the same miniscule odds of matching all 6 numbers to win the top prize, regardless if the powerplay is added to the ticket.
Should you always add the powerplay?
Whether to always add the powerplay option comes down to personal preference and budget. Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros of Always Adding the Powerplay
- Increases secondary prizes when matched
- Opportunity for larger payouts beyond just the jackpot
- Overall odds of winning any prize improve slightly
- More exciting to have multiplier aspect
Cons of Always Adding the Powerplay
- Doubles the cost of every play since it’s $1 extra per ticket
- Reduced potential profits if spending limit reached faster
- Does not improve jackpot odds
- Biggest prizes still have extremely low odds of occurring
For many regular players, the pros often outweigh the cons and they choose to always add the powerplay. The opportunity for multiplied secondary prizes makes playing more fun and adds more ways to win besides the jackpot. While the odds are still long, even a small chance at winning $10 million or $500,000 is exciting.
However, recreational players on a budget may opt to skip the powerplay sometimes and just play the basic $2 Powerball with better odds but smaller prizes. There is no right or wrong answer for everyone on whether to always add the powerplay option.
Can the powerplay make you a millionaire?
Yes, the powerplay provides a way to win multimillion dollar prizes in the Powerball lottery besides just matching all 6 numbers for the jackpot. There are two ways the powerplay can make you a millionaire:
- Multiplying the $1 million second prize: If you match 5 numbers plus the Powerball for the $1 million prize and the powerplay drawn is 10x, your prize would multiply to $10 million.
- Multiplying the 10x jackpot: In rare cases when the jackpot is under $150 million, the 10x multiplier replaces the 10x powerplay number. If you won that jackpot with 10x drawn, your prize would start at a guaranteed $10 million minimum.
So while your overall odds are still long, the chance to become a multimillionaire from a matched secondary prize is why many players choose to tack on the powerplay option. Over the years, the Powerball powerplay has created millions of winners who aren’t just jackpot winners.
Has anyone won big with the powerplay?
Yes, there have been several notable big winners thanks to the Powerball powerplay over the years:
- In 2008, a $200,000 prize multiplied to $1 million with a 5x powerplay.
- In 2009, a $200,000 prize became $2 million with a 10x multiplier.
- In 2010, two separate $200,000 prizes multiplied to $1 million each time with a 5x drawn.
- In 2011, a $10,000 prize turned into $100,000 with a 10x powerplay.
- In 2012, two more $10,000 prizes became $100,000 each with a 10x.
- In 2015, a $50,000 prize jumped to $500,000 with the 10x powerplay.
- In 2016, a $1 million prize multiplied to $10 million when the 10x hit.
- In 2021, 10x struck again to turn a $1 million prize into $10 million for a lucky Nebraska player.
As you can see, there are numerous examples in Powerball history of life-changing sums being won by matching just 5 numbers or 4 numbers plus the Powerball. While your overall odds are still extremely long, the examples show that playing with the powerplay option can sometimes lead to exciting multimillion dollar secondary prize wins.
What are the biggest powerplay jackpots?
As mentioned earlier, the Powerball jackpot is not usually eligible to be multiplied by the powerplay. But in rare cases when the jackpot is below $150 million, the 10x multiplier replaces the 10x powerplay number pool. When this happens, jackpots can be multiplied up to huge sums if someone wins.
Here are some of the biggest Powerball jackpots won when the powerplay was in effect:
- $370 Million – Won on 3/23/2013 in Florida (10x powerplay)
- $228.9 Million – Won on 3/7/2015 in North Carolina (10x powerplay)
- $187.2 Million – Won on 10/27/2018 in Iowa (10x powerplay)
- $150.4 Million – Won on 3/26/2019 in Wisconsin (10x powerplay)
Each of these jackpots were guaranteed to start at the minimum advertised amount and then had the potential to be multiplied up to 10 times if the 10x hit. Some other large powerplay jackpots were $40 million multiplied to $80 million, $50 million multiplied to $100 million, and $70 million multiplied to $140 million.
So while not common, the few times the growing jackpot is under $150 million provides some exciting anticipation that a huge 10x multiplier could create a monstrous top prize for someone lucky!
Conclusion
In summary, the Powerball powerplay provides a way to increase secondary prizes in the game for just an extra $1 per play. While the jackpot odds stay the same, the overall odds of winning any prize go up slightly. The powerplay multipliers of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 10x create the possibility of more millionaires and multimillion dollar winners from matched lower tier prizes.
The decision to always add the powerplay is a personal choice based on budget and preferences. But the potential for bigger prizes gives players extra incentives to play Powerball. With jackpots starting at $20 million and frequent nine-figure top prizes, the Powerball powerplay adds even more ways to win besides just matching all six numbers.