The US Powerball is arguably one of the most popular American lottery games and one of the best lotteries to play and win! Its format got so popular that lotteries from other countries decided to follow it. This way, we have now different versions of Powerball, such as the New Zealand Powerball, the South Africa Powerball and the Australia Powerball ! Take your pick and start playing the most popular lotteries in the World right now!
Players must select five numbers from 1 to 69 and another Powerball number from 1 to 26 when they buy a ticket. In order to win the jackpot, players must match all five main balls plus the Powerball. In addition to the jackpot, there are eight further prize tiers offering set cash prizes for matching fewer numbers. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.87.
Drawings for Powerball are held every Wednesday and Saturday evening at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. 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. Each play costs $2 or $3 with the Power Play option. (Originally, Powerball plays cost $1; when PowerPlay began, such games were $2.) The official cutoff for ticket sales is 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time; some lotteries cut off sales earlier. The drawings are usually held at the Florida Lottery's studio in Tallahassee. The hosts are Sam Arleen and Laura Johnston.
First and foremost, sign your ticket! You should always sign the back of your Lottery ticket as soon as you purchase it. This will help prevent someone else from claiming a prize on your Florida Lottery ticket if it is lost or stolen, or if someone tries to scratch out, white out or change your signature.
General questions about claiming prizes may be answered by speaking with someone at one of our Florida Lottery district offices, calling the Player Information Line at (850) 487-7787, visiting the Florida Lottery Website and navigating to our Frequently Asked Questions page, or by contacting the Florida Lottery Customer Service Office.
Ticket Expiration All claim deadlines have been extended by 90 days, giving players the option to hold on to winning tickets and wait to claim any prizes until Lottery offices reopen to the public. For more information on the documents needed to claim a prize, click here.
All Draw game prizes must be claimed at a Florida Lottery retailer, Florida Lottery district office or the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on or before the 270th day after the winning drawing. All Scratch-Off and Fast Play game prizes must be claimed at a Florida Lottery retailer, Florida Lottery district office or the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on or before the 150th day after the official end of the game. For faster payment, Florida Lottery winners should complete the information on the back of their winning ticket and take it to any retailer for validation. The ticket issued is the only valid receipt for claiming a prize. |