Through 2008, Powerball drawings usually were held at Screenscape Studios in West Des Moines, Iowa. The two-drum concept has since been used by The Big Game (now Mega Millions) in the US, Australia's Powerball, Thunderball in the UK, Eurojackpot and EuroMillions. The two-drum concept was suggested by Steve Caputo of the Oregon Lottery.

Using two drums to draw numbers from, offers more manipulation by simultaneously allowing low jackpot odds, numerous prize levels and high overall odds of winning (as explained later, a ticket can win by matching only one number). When it was launched in 1992 Powerball became the first game to use two drums.

Stanek was president of the Iowa Lottery, and along with Steve Caputo, invented the Powerball game. The game, and name, were changed to Powerball on Apits first drawing was held April 22.ĭr. Powerball's predecessor began in 1988 the multi-state game was known as Lotto America. states and territories offering Powerball, as of November 2022 Mega Millions and Powerball LotteryĪlabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah do not have state lotteries. Powerball is known for producing some of the largest lottery jackpots in history including the record breaking $2.1 billion jackpot won by a ticket purchased in Altadena, California in 2022. The annuity is paid in 30 graduated installments over 29 years with each annuity payment increasing 5% annually, whereas the lump sum payment usually less than the annuity is paid all at once. Powerball jackpot winners have the choice of taking the annuity or lump sum cash prize. Powerball's minimum jackpot starts at $20 million annuity. Eastern Time some lotteries cut off sales earlier. The official cutoff for ticket sales is 10:00 p.m. Each play costs $2 or $3 with the Power Play option which allows players to increase the payout of their winning numbers. Since October 7, 2015, the game has used a 5/69 (white balls) + 1/26 (Powerballs) matrix from which winning numbers are chosen, resulting in odds of 1 in 292,201,338 of winning a jackpot per play. Eastern Time, at the Florida Lottery's headquarters in Tallahassee. Monday drawings were added to help boost sales and increase jackpot amounts. From 1992 to 2021, Powerball drawings were held biweekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is overseen by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which also manages other large jackpot games such as the Mega Millions. Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Current powerball jackpot value