How to Play USA Powerball
If you are looking for the ultimate low-risk, high-reward scenario stop, playing the lottery is your answer.
Why?
Because if you lose, you are only out a few dollars, BUT if you win, even against the odds, the payoff is a lifetime of freedom and easy living.
One of the biggest lottery games in the world is the USA Powerball. The history of the Powerball goes all the way to 1987 when the Multi-State Lottery Association, now the MUSL was formed. In the beginning, only 6 states participated.
The first Powerball drawing was held on April 22, 1992. States have gradually signed on since then and it is currently offered by 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If you are wondering why so many states signed on? Well, for the same reason you want to play: money.
Income taxes are payable by the winner and for those states that sell tickets and don’t produce winning tickets, 50% of ticket sales are paid out in the form of prizes and they are used to fund projects. Everybody wins!
Forty-million dollars is the Powerball minimum advertised jackpot. The winners can choose to be paid 30 graduated installments or a lump payment instead.
Keep in mind, that if you choose to be paid one lump sum, the payment will be less than the total of the 30 annual payments. The main reason for this is the time value of money and one check for a much larger sum will be taxed at a greater rate.
Did you know that on Wednesday, 13th January 2016, three fortunate ticket holders shared a record-breaking Powerball jackpot of $1.58 billion? The prizes were claimed in Tennessee, Florida, and California.
Now, the Internet has made possible that players from around the world use the lottery ticket concierge service to participate. Every Wednesday and Saturday night at exactly 10:59 pm Eastern Time in Tallahassee, Florida, the Powerball USA takes place.
Besides the minimum jackpot, Powerball USA has another attraction which is that regardless of how many winners there are in each prize tier all non-jackpot prizes are set at a guaranteed amount. The only exception to this rule is the state of California.
In California, all Powerball prizes apart from the jackpot depend on ticket sales as well as the number of winners in each tier.
You have the option to boost any Powerball USA winnings, except the jackpot and Match 5 tier prizes with the Power Play feature.
How?
Well, for a small additional fee you can select the Power Play option, where winnings from all tiers except the jackpot and Match 5, are multiplied by a randomly selected Power Play number between 2 and 10.
If you win the jackpot or Match 5 tier, with this feature, you simply doubled to $2 million if the ticket holder matches the Power Play number in the draw.
When the Powerball jackpot is worth $150 million or less the 10X Power Play feature comes into play. Keep in mind that California does not offer Power Play.
How to Play Powerball USA Step by Step
The object of Powerball is to select a total of six numbers. You win the jackpot if the numbers drawn match the ones you selected.
When you choose a “quick pick”, the lottery machine selects a set of numbers randomly. This is the easiest and quickest way to play.
Of course, you can choose a specific number yourself. All you have to do is:
- Pick five main numbers between 1 and 69
- Pick one Powerball number between 1 and 26
- Optional: Pay a small fee and add the Power Play multiplier
You can choose any number for the Powerball, even if it is the same as one of the first five numbers because it is drawn from a separate number pool.
Can I play anywhere in the world?
Yes, you can. You just have to sign-up to a platform and play Powerball USA, the biggest lottery in the world, online.
When you play online you can choose your own numbers.
It is safe, convenient, and you don’t have to be a U.S. citizen to claim the prizes.
You can also check out if you are a lucky winner, just by checking the Powerball results online every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
What do I win?
The minimum jackpot starts at $40 million and every time there is no jackpot winner it grows $10 million.
All the numbers MUST match in order to win the jackpot.
There are also another eight Powerball prizes to win every single time.
How to Claim the Jackpot?
Powerball lets you select either Cash Option or the Jackpot Annuity.
Cash Option
With this option, you choose to receive your portion in one lump sum.
Jackpot Annuity
If you choose jackpot annuity, your portion of the full amount of the estimated jackpot will be payable in 29 years; this means you receive 30 annual installments.
Keep in mind that you will need to pay federal and state taxes.
How much I pay to play Powerball USA?
$2 each play.
If you play online you have to add the service fee.
If you want to add the Power Play feature you will need to pay $1.00 extra per ticket. Remember the Power Play feature is not available in California.
What exactly is the Power Play Feature?
The power play feature lets you increase your non-jackpot winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times, this number depends on the Power Play number drawn that evening.
If you are playing Powerball online all you have to do is select Power Play feature for all playboards.
When the jackpot is $150 million or less Power Play is available and the number is randomly drawn from a pool of multipliers that include:
- 2 5Xs
- 3 4Xs
- 13 3Xs
- 24 2Xs, and
- 1 10X
When are Drawings Held?
Powerball USA is held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm. Eastern Time.
If you are playing online you may buy tickets up to approximately 5:00 pm Eastern Time; if not you have until 10:45 pm Eastern time.
It is always a good idea to check with your lottery retailer in your state for the precise cut off time.
Finally, one last piece of advice make sure you are buying Powerball tickets from authorized retailers and make sure you keep them in a safe location to prevent from being lost, damaged or stolen.
Remember Powerball tickets that are valid but unsigned are considered legal and anyone can claim the prize. So don’t lose your Powerball ticket, you really could miss out on Millions of Dollars!
Playing Powerball USA is as simple as picking your numbers for a chance to win a huge jackpot. You can be as Manuel Franco from Wisconsin, at age 24 he was the youngest people to win the Powerball, winning $768.4 million; or Gloria MacKenzie who is the oldest Powerball winner with $590 million prize in 2013.
These are just two examples that when you play Powerball USA all you need is faith in the game, and being in the right place at the right time.