Here is everything you'll need to know about playing Powerball’s Power Play, increasing your winnings should you win.
If you’re new to playing Powerball, you may be wondering about the Power Play. Without really understanding how to play with it or recognize the potential benefits of adding Power Play to your Powerball game, you might be unsure about how it works. Keep reading. We’ll dive in to provide everything you need to know about Power Play basics, multipliers, and ultimate payout potential.
You might understand how to play Powerball. You can visit a Powerball retailer and purchase a ticket over the counter or visit online to buy tickets there. You choose your numbers methodically or have the software choose for you. And then you wait to see if your numbers match up for the win. But Power Play can make those traditional basic plays even more lucrative if you end up winning.
Power Play is an option you have at the time of purchase, where you can spend an additional dollar to add a multiplier to your game. Any non-jackpot wins, meaning matching some numbers, can then reward a multiplied prize amount. You can add the Power Play option by checking the box on your payslip. You cannot play Power Play after the fact nor separately from the existing Powerball game at hand.
The Power Play option only applies to any non-jackpot prizes. So, any multi-million jackpots won’t be applicable to double or triple with the Power Play. However, any other combination of partial winning numbers can be multiplied. You don’t get a say in choosing what multiplier applies. The multiplier will be randomly selected prior to each drawing. But it could be huge since non-jackpot prizes could result in two, three, four, five, or ten times the original winning amount!
So, what can a Power Play option and multiplier do for you? Even though it won’t be comparable to the official jackpot amount, it can be a huge win. The ten-times multiplier will only come into play when the jackpot reaches a $150 million or less amount. But all other variations could be significant.
Matching five Powerball numbers could automatically result in a $1 million prize. Now imagine doubling that to $2 million because you played the Power Play. Matching four numbers could result in a win of $50,000 to $500,000, depending on the randomly selected multiplier. If you’re able to match three numbers, you might walk away with $100. But adding the Power Play to that game could net you more like $1,000. Matching even one or two Powerball numbers could return $40 to $70 with the Power Play multiplier in play.
Browsing through all the Powerball winners this year alone, there are several who won big because of the Power Play multipliers. For example, Elizabeth Johnson of North Carolina opted for the Power Play ticket and found five of her numbers matching. With the two-time multiplier in play, her $1 million quickly turned into $2 million.
Anton Garrett from Iowa actually purchased five different Powerball plays on one ticket. One of those lines earned him $7. Another line matched five numbers to earn him the $1 million prize. But because of the Power Play options he had added to both games, he claimed $21 for the smaller win and $2 Million for the big one.
In Virginia, Larry Baier woke his wife up one morning with some pretty incredible news. His winning Powerball ticket had matched five numbers from the evening’s pick. But it was that extra dollar he spent to choose the Power Play option that doubled his winning prize from $1 million to $2 million.
Power Play is just another way to make Powerball fun. So pick your numbers and explore your Power Play options. You could win $7 or $21. Or even better, you could walk away with $2 million instead of $1 million.