About US Powerball and US Powerball Rules

About US Powerball and US Powerball Rules

Ever since the US Powerball was launched, the number of players is constantly on the rise and there are two reasons for why this trend is going strong. On one hand, this is the most prosperous American lottery and the one that has recently awarded some of the largest jackpots in lottery history. On the other hand, the rules are simple and haven’t been changed since its inception, which means that players can jump right on the bandwagon without any kind of training. The only significant change operated by those running the lottery is to increase the price of US Powerball tickets from one dollar to two dollars.

 

A total of 95 balls is placed in two different drums, with 69 of them being white, 26 red and bearing the name of Powerballs. A total of five white balls is extracted plus a red one and players win by matching as many of the corresponding numbers on their lottery tickets. The jackpot is won by the player who matches all five white numbers and the Powerball, with lower amounts being awarded to those who hit other number combinations. There are a total of nine ways to win and the odds of winning any prize stand at 1 in 32, while only one in 175 million tickets will scoop the jackpot.

It frequently happens that nobody succeeds in beating the odds for consecutive weeks, and when this happens the size of the jackpot grows rapidly. The rules of the US Powerball state that not awarded prizes are rolled over for the next draws, which explains why sometimes the jackpots reach epic proportions. Those who finally claim the top prize need to decide whether they want to receive the entire amount right away at the expense of paying penalties, or be presented with yearly installments.