One ticket a second
- Powerball9.3 years
Jackpot odds 1 in 292,201,338
- Mega Millions9.2 years
Jackpot odds 1 in 290,472,336
Each block is one year of non-stop tickets.
Where the number comes from
Powerball draws five white balls from 69 and one red Powerball from 26. There are 11,238,513 ways to choose five numbers from 69. Multiply by 26 and you get 292,201,338 possible tickets. Only one of them wins the jackpot.
Mega Millions draws five from 70 and one Mega Ball from 24. That is 12,103,014 × 24 = 290,472,336. Its April 2025 redesign cut the Mega Ball field, improving the jackpot odds from about 1 in 303 million, and raised the price of a play to $5.
Big jackpots do not change the odds
A record jackpot is the same 1 in 292 million draw. More people buy tickets, which also raises the chance of sharing the prize. Treat a ticket as the price of a few days' daydreaming, not a plan, and keep it inside a budget you set in advance with safer gambling tools.
Big jackpots also bring fake "you've won" messages: a real lottery never asks for a fee to release a prize. See the odds of other draws with the lottery odds tool, or how lottery couriers buy official tickets for you.
Can you buy tickets online where you live? Check US states or the UK.
Questions people ask
How are the jackpot odds calculated?
Count the ways to choose the main numbers, then multiply by the bonus-ball choices. For Powerball: 11,238,513 ways to pick 5 from 69, times 26 = 292,201,338.
Does buying more tickets help?
Each extra ticket adds one more chance in 292 million. Ten tickets make it 10 in 292 million: still extremely unlikely.
What does a Mega Millions ticket cost now?
Since April 2025, a single Mega Millions play costs $5, with the multiplier included.
Sources
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