One lucky Portage local purchased a Powerball lottery ticket from a Meijer gas station that turned out to be worth $1 million. The player successfully picked all five white balls but was just short of winning the jackpot since they did not have the Powerball number correct.
The jackpot continues to rise even after smaller million-dollar prizes are won. Below you can see how to play and how you could potentially win a million yourself.
Game Details
Current Estimated Jackpot: $124 million
Purchasing Options: Online and In-Store
Ticket Cost: $2.00
Drawing Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
How to Play Powerball
Players must select five white ball numbers that range from one to 69. After that, you have to choose a single red PowerBall number that spans between one and 26.
Power Play is available to add to your ticket, which allows you to multiply your earnings. For an additional dollar, this could greatly boost the prize you have won.
Power Play uses your current winning prize and multiplies it by whatever the multiplier ends up being, such as 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X the amount. The 10X multiplier only applies to prizes that range below the jackpot and five white ball numbers. In addition, it is not available at all when the jackpot is over $150 million.
Winning the jackpot is an outstanding feeling, and you have two options for payouts. Either spread it out over a 30-year annuity or take the prize in a lump sum, with heavy taxes upfront.
The 30-year option is distributed evenly each year and allows for less taxes overall. Taking all of the cash means you are subject to more taxes and less money than the 30-year option.
Odds, Price, and Prizes for Powerball
The overall odds of winning a single prize for playing the Powerball are one in 25. Buying another ticket could greatly improve your chances of winning something.
The jackpot has odds of one in 292,201,338, and the recent million-dollar winner had odds of one in 11,688,054. Another ticket could improve these chances, but only if your budget allows it.
Each ticket will cost $2 unless you decide to add the Power Play option for another dollar. Keep in mind of your budget before adding more tickets and additional features.
