No tip can change the odds of a Powerball draw: every £4 line has the same 1 in 292,201,338 chance of the jackpot. What you can control is everything around it: how much you spend, how you choose and check your numbers, how you play with other people and who you buy from. These tips keep Powerball what it should be: a bit of fun with a small chance of a big win.
1. Set your budget before you look at the jackpot
Decide how much you're happy to spend each week or month, an amount you could lose without it mattering, and stick to it whatever the jackpot. Powerball jackpots can climb to hundreds of millions of pounds; your budget shouldn't climb with them.
At £4 a line, it adds up quickly. The online play slip starts with four lines, which is £16 for one draw, and there are three draws a week: four lines in every draw comes to £48 a week. Remove the lines you don't want before you buy, because entries can't be cancelled afterwards.
If you play online, The National Lottery's Dream Big Play Small tools let you set spend and deposit limits over a rolling seven days, get reminders and take time out. Lowering a limit works straight away; raising one takes 24 hours. Never borrow to play, never use money meant for bills, and never treat Powerball as a way out of money worries.
2. Know what £4 buys
A £4 line buys a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of the jackpot and about a 1 in 13 chance of some prize, most often £8 for Match 2 or around £10 to £20 for the Powerball on its own or with one number. On average, 41.2% of what players spend comes back as prizes. Knowing that makes it easier to treat Powerball as entertainment, not income. The figures are in Powerball odds.
It's also worth knowing how the top prize works in the UK: the jackpot is advertised in pounds after tax and paid over 30 years, not as a lump sum. See the Powerball jackpot.
3. Lucky Dip or your own numbers? Avoid the popular ones
A Lucky Dip and numbers you choose yourself have exactly the same chance, so pick in whatever way you enjoy. The only thing your choice can affect is how many people you might share a prize with. The jackpot is split equally between every winning line in the UK and the US, and each of the UK's shared prizes, from Match 4 + Powerball down to the Powerball alone, is split between every UK winner in that tier.
Many players choose birthdays (numbers from 1 to 31), runs such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, patterns on the play slip or the numbers from the last draw. Only about 1.5% of all possible combinations use numbers from 1 to 31 alone, but plenty of people play them, so if they come up the prize is shared more widely. A Lucky Dip, or the “Avoid popular combinations” option in our number generator, helps you steer clear of them.
4. Ignore the myths
- “Due” numbers. A number that hasn't come up for months is no more likely tonight. Every draw is independent; the balls have no memory.
- Hot streaks. A number drawn often lately is no more likely either.
- Patterns. A line that “looks random” has no better chance than 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: every combination is 1 in 292,201,338.
- Lucky shops. A shop sells more winning tickets because it sells more tickets.
- Systems. No book, app or software can predict the numbers. Anyone selling one, or asking for money to improve your chances, is trying to scam you.
Why past draws can't predict the next one is explained in how to read Powerball statistics.
5. Check every ticket and claim within 180 days
Small prizes are easy to miss, and after 180 days they're gone. Check your tickets after every draw with our ticket checker, The National Lottery app, which can scan paper tickets, or any National Lottery retailer. Results come out from around 5am on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday under the UK date; some sites list the same draw under the American date, Monday, Wednesday or Saturday, which is also the day you pick when you buy online.
Write your name and address on the back of a paper ticket as soon as you buy it: once you do, only the person named on it can claim. Keep it somewhere safe until the last draw it covers has taken place, and if you lose a ticket you think has won, tell Allwyn in writing within 30 days of the draw. Every step is in how to claim a Powerball prize.
6. Playing in a syndicate? Put it in writing
Syndicates are a sociable way to play more lines for the same money, with friends, family or colleagues. They can also cause arguments when a win comes in and nothing was agreed. Write down, and have everyone sign:
- Who's in the syndicate and how much each person pays, and when.
- Which numbers you play, which draws and for how long.
- Who buys the tickets and who keeps them, or whose online account they're in.
- How prizes will be split, including the small ones.
- What happens if someone doesn't pay, wants to leave or joins later.
- What you'd do with a jackpot: see below.
Powerball has special rules if a syndicate wins the jackpot. Allwyn deals only with the syndicate manager, who must give full details of every member, and each member fills in US tax forms. With up to 35 members, the first payment goes to the manager to share out and each member gets their own 29-year annuity. With more than 35, the manager chooses between a lump sum, lower than the advertised jackpot, and a single annuity in the manager's name, and then shares it out. Agree that choice before you start playing.
7. Know what you're playing
Powerball tickets in the UK come from The National Lottery: on its website and app and in National Lottery shops across the UK and the Isle of Man. You must be 18 or over, and to play online you must live in the UK or the Isle of Man and be there when you buy. Prizes on those tickets are paid only by Allwyn. More in where to buy Powerball.
You can also bet on the result of the American draw with a betting company licensed by the Gambling Commission, such as Lottofy: it's a bet, not a National Lottery entry, so any winnings are paid by that company under its own terms. Other websites offer to buy American tickets on your behalf, which aren't National Lottery entries either. And no genuine lottery or betting company asks for a fee to release a prize: the warning signs are in how to avoid Powerball scams.
8. Take a break when it stops being fun
If you're spending more than you planned, playing to win back what you've lost or feeling low after a draw, take a break. In your National Lottery account you can take time out for anything from one day to a permanent exclusion; GAMSTOP doesn't cover draw games such as Powerball, so use your account's own tools. Free, confidential support is available on the National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, day or night. There's more in responsible gambling.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a trick to winning Powerball?
No. Every combination has the same chance in every draw, and no system, app or statistic can change that.
Is a Lucky Dip better than choosing my own numbers?
It has exactly the same chance of winning. Random lines just tend to avoid the patterns people choose, so if they win, the prize is less likely to be shared.
Should I avoid birthday numbers on Powerball?
They're as likely to win as any others, but they're popular. A line made only of numbers from 1 to 31 is more likely to share a prize if it wins.
Can a Powerball syndicate take the jackpot as a lump sum?
Only if it has more than 35 members, and then the syndicate manager chooses between a lump sum, lower than the advertised jackpot, and a single annuity. Smaller syndicates are paid over 30 years, with an annuity for each member.
Is betting on Powerball the same as buying a ticket?
No. A National Lottery ticket enters the UK game and funds UK good causes; a bet on the result, like the ones Lottofy offers, is placed with a betting company licensed by the Gambling Commission, which pays any winnings under its own terms. Both play the same draw.
Should I buy more lines when the jackpot is big?
Only if it fits within the budget you set beforehand. A bigger jackpot doesn't improve your odds; it just attracts more players to share with.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.