Powerball, a game that has been accessible in Virginia since 2010, is set to undergo a significant transformation.
On August 23, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) made an announcement regarding the addition of a third weekly drawing for Powerball.
The Virginia Lottery has confirmed with PlayVirginia that the commonwealth will be part of the expansion.
The new drawing occurs on Mondays, while the traditional Wednesday and Saturday drawings continue as usual.
In January 2016, the Power Ball lottery reached an unprecedented jackpot of $1.58 billion, which was subsequently divided among three fortunate winners. Furthermore, a resident of Virginia also had their moment of triumph when they claimed a Powerball jackpot worth $217 million back in 2013.
Powerball and other multi-state games
Mega Millions and Powerball are the top two multi-state lottery games, played in 45 states, as well as in Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
In both games, players can secure jackpots by matching five randomly selected white balls along with a single multi-colored ball drawn from a different drum. This standalone ball is referred to as the “mega” ball or “power” ball.
The initial set of numbers for Mega Millions draws are selected from a range of 1 to 70, while the supplementary “mega” ball is chosen from a range of 1 to 25. On the other hand, Powerball uses numbers ranging from 1 to 69, and the additional “power” ball is selected from a series numbered 1 to 26.
How to play Powerball
When participating in Powerball, players have the option to manually select all six numbers or obtain a “quick pick” ticket where the numbers are randomly chosen.
At a cost of $2, tickets are available for purchase. However, players have the option to enhance their chances by adding an additional $1 at the time of purchase. This upgrade, known as “Power Play,” guarantees a prize payout that is at least twice the original amount, excluding the grand prize.
While not all VA Lotto products can be bought online, the VA Lottery website allows the purchase of tickets for draw games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick 3, and Cash4Life.
- Starting on August 23rd, Powerball drawings will be held on Mondays in addition to the usual Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- The drawings for Mega Millions take place every Tuesday and Friday.
- There are Cash4Life drawings conducted every day of the week.
- Choose three drawings twice daily, every day of the week.
How hard is it to win Power Ball?
It is a 302,575,350 to 1 chance of winning Mega Millions with just one $2 ticket.
With a single-ticket purchase, the chances of winning Powerball are significantly improved, but they still remain remarkably slim at 292,201,338 to 1.
Payouts for Powerball and Mega Millions
Based on the numbers you have matched, here are the payout amounts for winning tickets in the Virginia Powerball.
- The grand prize includes all five white numbers plus the Powerball.
- Only the numbers 1 million are white.
- If you match four out of the five white numbers along with the Powerball, you will win a prize of $50,000.
- The following items consist of solely four white numbers: $100.
- The cost of three white numbers plus Powerball is $100.
- The number is $7 and it is white.
- The combination of two white numbers plus the Powerball equals $7.
- The sum of a single white number and the Powerball is $4.
- Powerball only: $4
Similar to Powerball, Mega Millions also provides nine opportunities to win. The probability of winning any prize is 1 in 24 for Mega Millions, whereas it is 1 in 25 for Powerball.
The Powerball jackpot was around $161 million when Wednesday’s drawing took place.
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