Feeling lucky today? Why not give the lottery a shot? And hey, why not take a chance on Powerball while you’re at it? It’s one of the biggest lotteries in the U.S. and is available in 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The grand prize hit an astonishing $2.04 billion, snagged by a single person in California in 2022. So… curious about the cost of a Powerball ticket? Well, we’re diving into that today, so keep reading.
How much does a Powerball ticket cost?
The base price for a Powerball ticket is about $2. This cost is the same whether you choose a Quick Pick, where the machine randomly selects your numbers, or if you choose your own set of numbers.
The Power Play and Double Play Add-Ons
Powerball offers two interesting add-ons: Power Play and Double Play. Both these features can significantly increase your winning potential.
How much does Powerball with Power Play cost?
For an additional $1, you can activate the Power Play feature on your ticket. This will increase the total cost of your Powerball ticket to $3. But what does Power Play do? It allows you to multiply the smaller prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or even 10x. However, the 10x multiplier only kicks in when the jackpot is less than $150 million.
How much does Powerball with Double Play cost?
The Double Play feature is also activated for an additional $1, bringing the total cost of the ticket to $3. Double Play gives you another chance to win with the same set of Powerball numbers in another drawing. With this feature you can win a maximum cash prize of $10 million.
Double Play is available in 16 states: Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington.
Combining Power Play and Double Play
If you’re feeling extra lucky, you can add both the Power Play and Double Play features to your ticket. This would bring the total cost of your Powerball ticket up to $4 ($2 for the base ticket, $1 for Power Play, and $1 for Double Play). Remember, the Power Play multiplier doesn’t apply to prizes won in the Double Play drawing.
Buying Powerball Tickets Online
In some states, you can buy your Powerball tickets online. Please note that this service is only available to residents of that specific jurisdiction. Sale of Powerball tickets over the Internet or by mail across state lines is restricted.
How Late Can You Buy Tickets?
The ticket cutoff time typically ranges between 1-2 hours before the official drawing, but this can vary based on your location. Remember Powerball drawings occur three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 pm ET.
Recap: Powerball Ticket Pricing
Here is a summary of the details of the cost of a Powerball ticket:
- The basic Powerball ticket costs $2 per play.
- The Power Play feature costs an extra $1, raising the total to $3 per play.
- The Double Play feature also costs $1 extra, bringing the total to $3 per play.
- Combining both Power Play and Double Play bumps the total cost to $4 per play.
Where does the Powerball money go?
About half of the money raised from ticket sales goes directly to Powerball winners as prizes.
The rest of the dough is divided up for good causes within the state, such as supporting schools, helping the environment, or improving health services. On top of that, some goes to the retailers as commissions and covers operational costs like advertising, payroll, and general management stuff. Each state does its own thing in distributing the money.
You already know the cost of a Powerball ticket, and frankly, it’s pretty affordable when you think about the potential prizes. So, are you ready to play? Leave a comment below and let us know if you’d like to try your luck.
Just remember to have fun and play responsibly!