How to Play
What's New?
Powerball, launched almost 20 years ago, in April 1992, has grown into one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable lottery games. Beginning in January 2012, Powerball has been redesigned to bring more value to its players. The jackpots will be bigger and players have a better chance at winning them. Jackpots will start at $40 million, increasing at least $10 million between each drawing. Players who match the five white balls will win $1 million or, if they choose to Power Play, $2 million. The odds of winning the jackpot improve to 1 in 175 million and the odds of winning a prize overall improve to 1 in 31.8. The game, played in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has nine ways to win.
How to Play
Powerball is still easy to play! There are two play
options for Powerball: a $2 Powerball ticket or
a $3 Powerball ticket with Power Play. The extra
dollar played for the Power Play feature means
winning larger prize amounts, including a new $2
million prize for matching all 5 white balls! See the
chart below for all of the exciting new cash prizes
guaranteed by adding the Power Play feature to
your Powerball ticket.
Selecting Your Numbers
Once you have chosen Powerball or Powerball
with Power Play, picking your numbers is easy
too! You can complete a playslip to select your
favorite numbers or ask the retailer for a “Quick
Pick” ticket to have the computer select any or
all of your numbers. You can play a total of five
(5) sets of numbers on one playslip. (See the
playslip instructions below.)
You can also choose to play in future drawings by
using the same playslip for up to 26 consecutive
drawings. To play consecutive drawings, you
need to either select one of the “Multi-Draw”
boxes on the playslip or ask the retailer for
multiple draws at the time of purchase. If you
win on any of the drawings during a Multi-Draw
play, you can cash in your winnings at a retailer
location or NCEL office depending on the prize
won and an EXCHANGE TICKET will be printed
for the remaining drawings that are still active
on the ticket. Be sure to check your numbers
and verify your ticket cost prior to purchase. A
Powerball ticket CANNOT be cancelled by the
retailer after it is generated. The ticket, and
not the playslip, is your proof of purchase.
All sales for Powerball stop at the cut-off time
of 9:59 p.m. on the drawing days and resume
following each drawing. Drawings are held every
Wednesday and Saturday night at approximately
10:59 p.m.
How to Complete a Playslip
9 Ways to Win!
There are still 9 fun ways to win Powerball! The jackpot prize is won by matching five white balls
(1 through 59) in any order, plus the one red Powerball number (1 through 35) for a total of six balls played.
However, there are also eight (8) additional ways to win by matching fewer numbers to the numbers drawn.
(See chart below.) With 9 prize levels, including a Match 5 second level prize of $1 million, Powerball offers
lots of chances to be a big winner!
Powerball Prizes & Odds
| Match |
Prize |
With Power Play |
Odds |
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 31.85
* The jackpot prize is estimated and will be
divided equally among all winning tickets for that
prize level. The jackpot can be paid out either
as a lump sum payment or an annuity payout
over 29 years (or 30 payments). If the winner
chooses the annuity, the annual payment will be
increased each year by the percentage set out in
the Powerball game rules. Each ticket costs $2.
The jackpot prize may become pari-mutuel in
limited circumstances based on sales.
† All set prizes and Power Play prizes, including
the Match 5+0 prize, may be reduced if claims exceed
available prize fund. In such circumstances,
these prizes may become pari-mutuel as defined
in the game rules. Pari-mutuel means that prize
amounts are shared equally among all winners of
the available prize pool for that prize level.
|
+
|
Jackpot* |
Jackpot* |
175,223,510 |
|
|
$1 Million† |
$2 Million† |
5,153,633 |
|
+
|
$10,000† |
$40,000† |
648,976 |
|
|
$100† |
$200† |
19,088 |
|
+
|
$100† |
$200† |
12,245 |
|
|
$7† |
$14† |
360 |
|
+
|
$7† |
$14† |
706 |
|
+
|
$4† |
$12† |
111 |
|
|
$4† |
$12† |
55 |
How do I find out the winning numbers?
Watch the drawings every Wednesday and Saturday night at approximately 10:59pm on your area’s official lottery drawing station.
- WRAL - Channel 5, Raleigh
- WITN - Channel 7, Greenville, New Bern & Washington
- WAXN - TV64, Charlotte
- WXLV - Channel 45, Winston-Salem, Greensboro & High Point
- WLOS - Channel 13, Asheville
- Replays available on YouTube
You can also obtain winning number information or a copy of the game rules by calling the NCEL Player Hotline at 877-962-7529 ( TTY Number: 888-663-0154).
How to Claim your winnings?
If You Win The Powerball Jackpot, How Do You Claim?
If you are a winner of an NCEL Powerball jackpot prize, congratulations! You must sign the back of your original ticket immediately to preserve your ownership.
Prior to coming to the NCEL's Corporate Office in Raleigh, please call Player Services at (877) 962-7529 (9NC-PLAY). Player Services can verify the actual winning numbers drawn for a particular drawing date and provide you with instructions on how to claim.