How to Play Powerball and What Is a Double Play?

People who have never bought a Powerball ticket before are thinking about doing so now that the jackpot has increased to a record $1.9 billion.

On Saturday, no one won the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot because no one matched all six numbers.

There is now a cash option of $929.1 million on the table, bringing the total prize to $1.9 billion. This evening is the next drawing.

What you should know if you have never played before is as follows:

What is the price of a Powerball ticket?

Each Powerball ticket costs $2. Costing $3 is a Powerball with Power Play ticket. A $3 Powerball Double Play ticket is available. A $4 Powerball ticket with Power Play and Double Play is available.

What stores sell Powerball tickets?

Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands through authorized lottery retailers, including pharmacies, gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores.

How does Powerball work?

How to complete your "playslip" for the Florida Powerball

If you want to, you can play five games at once using the Florida playslip. every section:

1. In the top panel, choose a number between 1 and 69, or press QP to allow the terminal choose your numbers at random.
2. In the bottom panel, choose a number between 1 and 26 or press QP to allow the terminal choose your numbers at random.
3. Choose the Double Play box for an extra $1 per play for a chance to win cash prizes in a subsequent drawing that uses the same numbers as those on your Powerball ticket and is held after the Powerball drawing.
4. Select the Power Play box to multiply non-jackpot winnings. Each Power Play play costs an extra $1. All panels and Quick Picks played on the playslip are affected by checking the Power Play box. Double Play rewards are not eligible for Power Play.
5. Choose the number of draws you wish to play under the Advance Play section if you want to play the same numbers for more than one drawing.
6. For the upcoming drawings, check the Jackpot Combo box to receive a $2 Powerball, $2 Florida Lotto, and $2 Mega Millions Quick Pick ticket.
7. Give the store your completed playslip. If you choose add-on features like Power Play or Double Play, you'll receive a printed ticket with your numbers, the date or dates of the draw, and confirmation.

The Florida Lottery mobile app, a paper playslip at the retail location, or just telling the merchant the numbers you want to play are all options for players to select their numbers.

Choose one Powerball number from 1 to 26 and five numbers from 1 to 69 in the upper play area of the playslip.

Players can also use Quick Pick to instruct the terminal to choose random numbers for them.

What exactly are Powerball Double Play and Power Play?

The initial jackpot for the game is $20 million. There are nine prize tiers in Powerball, with the lowest-tier rewards ranging from $4 to $1 million. With Power Play, you can win up to $2 million and with Double Play, up to $10 million.

A bonus feature called Power Play gives users the opportunity to multiply their earnings. With Power Play, players can increase other non-jackpot winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, or 5X in addition to winning $2 million for matching the five white balls.

The announced jackpot will also include a 10X multiplier if it is $150 million or less. Just prior to the draw, the multiplier number will be chosen. Each play in a power play ticket costs an extra $1.

With the Double Play add-on option, players can use the same numbers they played on their Powerball ticket to enter a second drawing held after the Powerball drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. Tickets for double plays add $1 for each play.

Powerball drawings occur when?

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. are designated as drawing days.

The day of the drawing, tickets can be bought up until 10 p.m. After that point, tickets can be used for the following drawing.

How can one succeed at Powerball?

One Powerball (numbered 1 through 26) and five white balls (numbered 1 through 69) are chosen at random.

The five numbers chosen from the first set of balls and the Powerball selected from the second set must match in any order for players to win the jackpot.

By matching non-jackpot winning combinations, players can win additional Powerball prizes from $4 to $1 million.

By matching fewer numbers, there are seven alternative ways to win, each with a lower payoff.

How is the jackpot for the Powerball determined?

The Multi-State Lottery Association determines the announced Powerball prize for each drawing.

The calculation of jackpots takes into account projected sales, money carried over from prior drawings, and current interest rates for long-term investments.

The jackpot pool receives 34.0066% of each $2 ticket sold.

How likely is it that you'll win the Powerball?

One in 292.2 million people have a chance of winning the jackpot. The likelihood of winning a Powerball or Powerball with Double Play prize alone is 1 in 24.9.

According to the Powerball website, these odds apply to every Powerball drawing. The chances of winning a reward remain the same even if more tickets were sold for a specific drawing.

When do Florida Powerball tickets expire?

Florida Powerball tickets expire 180 days after the date of the winning drawing, just like all other games provided by the Florida Lottery.

Is there a cash alternative for the Powerball jackpot?

Yes. Jackpot winners have the option of receiving their share of the jackpot as a series of annuity payments or a single lump sum payout. According to the Florida Lottery, jackpot awards must be claimed within the first 60 days after the winning drawing date in order to be eligible for the cash option.

Winners of the jackpot might choose to receive 30 progressive payments spread over 29 years. Up until the final payment, the annual payments rise by 5% each year. The value of the annuity is equal to the sum of the 30 payments.

Which five Powerball jackpots are the largest?

The top five Powerball jackpots as of November 3, 2022, are as follows:

1. $1.6 billion — Nov. 4, 2022

2. $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee

3. $768.4 million — Mar. 27, 2019; Wisconsin

4. $758.7 million — Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts

5. $731.1 million — Jan. 20, 2021; Maryland