Powerball
Powerball offers some of the biggest jackpots in Australia and it takes place on Thursday evenings after 7:30pm AEST, after ticket sales close. There is a starting jackpot of $4 million which often grows up to $100 million or even more. The largest Powerball Division 1 prize was worth an impressive $200 million.
In total, there are nine prize divisions, so you have many chances to win prizes even if you don't match all the winning numbers.
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How to Play Powerball
In order to enter Powerball, you need to select seven numbers between 1 and 35, as well as a Powerball number between 1 and 20. If you prefer choosing your own numbers, you can play a marked entry. For a random set of numbers, you can ask for a Quick Pick (or SlikPik in Western Australia). You can also boost your chances of winning if you choose System or Pick entries but they would cost you extra.
You are able to enter up to 10 consecutive draws with the Multi-Week entry and if you want to play a specific draw day, you can select the Advance entry which allows you to enter up to 10 weeks in advance.
Want to make sure you'll definitely match the winning Powerball number? You can go for a PowerHit entry (known as PowerPik in Western Australia) and your chosen seven main numbers will be entered along with all Powerball numbers (between 1 and 20). This means that you will enter with 20 different sets of numbers and it is guaranteed that you will match the Powerball numbers.
You need to purchase your tickets before 7:30pm AEST, except for Western Australia, where you need to enter before 6:00pm AWST.
How to Win
You can win Powerball prizes by matching at least two main numbers and the Powerball numbers. In order to get the Division 1 prize, you must match all seven winning numbers plus the Powerball.
The Division 1 prize has a guaranteed starting amount of $4 million and it jackpots until someone matches all the winning numbers. But there are eight other divisions which can still bring you substantial prizes. Discover them in the table below, along with your odds of winning each of them.
| Division | Numbers Matched | Odds | Payout in Last Draw | Average Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 134,490,400 | $30,000,000.00 | $23,599,042.26 |
| 2 | 7 main numbers | 1 in 7,078,443 | $127,394.85 | $134,052.08 |
| 3 | 6 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 686,176 | $11,313.05 | $6,851.30 |
| 4 | 6 main numbers | 1 in 36,115 | $489.10 | $465.95 |
| 5 | 5 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 16,943 | $161.80 | $162.78 |
| 6 | 4 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 1,173 | $71.85 | $72.23 |
| 7 | 5 main numbers | 1 in 892 | $41.60 | $42.85 |
| 8 | 3 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 188 | $19.35 | $18.19 |
| 9 | 2 main numbers + Powerball | 1 in 66 | $11.95 | $11.03 |
Your overall chances of winning a Powerball prize are 1 in 44.