As we well know, the US Powerball lottery is the world’s biggest lottery draw. Not only is Powerball played across the USA, it’s also played online by Canadian players and others across the globe. It even boasts the largest jackpot ever won, weighing in at a whopping $1.5 billion.
As if that number isn’t impressive enough, Powerball rules changed back in October 2015 which increased the odds of winning the jackpot and promising even bigger prize pools.
After those chances, the main ball pool expanded by 10 numbers, giving you a staggering 69 balls to choose from. On the other hand, the ball pool reduced from 35 to just 26. That’s no hardship, though, since it improved the overall odds of winning.
So, while the odds are now better, it stands to reason that the odds of winning the jackpot have certainly lengthened, but it’s made way for some of the world’s biggest ever prizes.
The Powerball lottery has been around since 1992, when it took over from Lotto America and since then it’s quickly become the giant, highly enticing draw we know it as today.
The lottery is drawn twice a week, each Wednesday and Saturday at 22:59, American Eastern Time. To play, you need to choose five main numbers that range from 1 to 69, as well as a Powerball selection of 1 – 26.
The Power of Trios
Here’s an interesting fact you might not have known. Each Powerball winning combo is made up of 10 triplets of numbers. Within the game, there are a massive 32509 triplets of different numbers.
Even more interestingly, the probability of matching 3 numbers is 1 in 325.
Sure, it’s difficult to walk away with a Powerball jackpot, but it’s not entirely impossible. You need to be in it to win it, but having a little edge helps, too.
Match to Win
So, what’s it take to be a winner?
Powerball prizes start at around $4 for matching literally just the Powerball. As for just how high that jackpot can climb, the sky is the limit. In fact, there’s no cap on the jackpot.
That record-breaking $1.5 billion was shared between three winning tickets in January 2016. But, even if you’re not that lucky, you could still be a big winner. All you have to do is match 5 numbers and you’ll walk away with the second division prize, making you an instant millionaire.
Understanding the power of threes, or the common trio picks, could help you get there when you next buy tickets. These are the most commonly drawn numbers, and think about it, if you have 3 already, you just need a lucky 2 more numbers to get to the second division.
Can You Play Powerball From Another Country?
When you come across a Powerball jackpot worth hundreds of millions of dollars, we bet you can’t wait to put the power of threes to the test. Luckily, you don’t have to be an American citizen to try your luck.
Anyone can buy Powerball tickets, play the game, and collect their winnings. Best of all, as a Canadian citizen, you don’t even have to cross the border. You can play online without even getting out of bed!
What Are the Odds of Winning Powerball?
We get that the odds of winning the main prize seem stacked against you (a jaw-dropping 1 in 292 million to be precise), but as we all know, someone eventually wins the big prize. But, even if you don’t get all 5 numbers plus the Powerball, there are still 9 prize divisions up for grabs, so it’s got to be worth at least trying a couple of trio combos, right?
We think so!
Of course, there’s no guaranteed way to win at Powerball, but with the help of trio pools you can increase your chances of at least winning something.
Try it out for your next draw and let us know how it goes.