Explanation to Lottery Odds
People love to participate in the lottery. While many people buy lottery tickets or play lottery-based games, only a few manage to earn the prize.
The question is what are the odds of landing the jackpot prize in the lottery? Even the lucky ones don’t get the jackpot prize. But people still play lottery games.
Just because the chances of winning the jackpot are low does not mean you shouldn’t try your luck.
Many people hit jackpot every year. Maybe the next winner of the jackpot could be you.
Lottery Odds Powerball Ticket
Nothing is more interesting for a lottery participant than determining their odds of winning the jackpot.
People use different strategies to figure out their odds of winning the lottery.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the ways to find out the chances of winning Mega Millions and Powerball, two of the most popular lotteries out there.
The Odds of Winning the Powerball
If truth be told, the chances of winning the Powerball are really slim. A large number of people participate in the lottery to win a $40 million jackpot prize.
If it’s your lucky day, you can give the Powerball lottery a try. But make sure that you need to get all the numbers as well as the Powerball right in order to win the jackpot.
Certain things can improve your odds of winning the game, for example, purchasing many tickets. But even that won’t make a big difference.
Powerball Odds Per Year
The Powerball consists of 5 white balls and one red ball. Let’s first understand the possible combinations for the white balls.
The first ball has a total of 69 possible combinations whereas the second one has 68 possible combos.
Similarly, the third ball has 67 possible numbers in the draw. This gives us the following equation:
1,348,621,560 = 69*68*67*66*65
As much as simple it seems, the calculation might not be accurate. The reason is pretty simple: the order you put the number in doesn’t matter.
To get accurate statistics, an additional formula must be added, which is dividing the total possible combinations with the possible orders.
On multiplying 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; we obtain 120. This means the 5 numbers we have mentioned can have as many as 120 orders.
On dividing 1,348,621,560 with the number of possible orders i.e. 120, we get 11,238,513. Note that the calculation we have performed is only for the first five white balls.
To calculate the exact chances of winning the jackpot, we need to add the red ball match.
Lottery Odds Formula
Players get to draw the red ball from a pool of 26 numbers, which means your chances of getting it right is 1 in 26.
To estimate the accurate winning odds, divide the first result (multiplication of white ball numbers) with 26.
On dividing these figures, we get 292,201,338. This is the number that indicates the odds of winning the game.
Basically, the number is the chance of getting the right match for each number and the Powerball. Make sure that this figure is only for the main jackpot prize.
The good news is that Powerball is not confined to one prize. Even if you fail to grab the big jackpot, there are many other interesting prizes for you.
There are eight more prizes that you can play for. Let’s see the odds of winning these rewards.
- The odds for winning the biggest jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. You need to guess the five major numbers as well as the Powerball to grab this jackpot.
- Another prize is $1 million, which is reserved for the candidate who manages to predict the five major numbers only. The odds for winning this jackpot are 1 in 11,688,054.
- The odds for winning the third highest prize, which is $50,000, are 1 in 913,129. You still need to be lucky to guess four right numbers as well as the Powerball.
- Guess the four right numbers only and get a prize of $100. The odds of winning this prize are 1 in 36,525.
- Players who guess the three main numbers right along with the right Powerball get $100. The odds are 1 in 14,494.
- The lottery pays $7 to the people who guess three main numbers right. The chances are 1 in 580.
- If you get the first two numbers and the Powerball right, you’ll get $7. The odds are 1 in 701.
- Players who get one main number and the Powerball right win $4. The odds for this are 1 in 92 (there’s a good scope).
- Even if you don’t get any number right but predict the right Powerball, you will earn $4. The odds are 1 in 38.
- Note that jackpot is not the only prize people compete for. Sure, the candidate who wins the jackpot must be the luckiest person on earth. But people winning the mini prizes also receive appreciation.
The Odds of Winning the Mega Millions
The odds of winning the jackpot prize in Mega Millions lottery are harder than Powerball. Let’s put it straight: the odds are 1 in 302,575,350.
Let’s see how we got this number. To determine the odds of winning the Mega Millions, you need to take 5 white balls and a golden Mega ball into consideration.
The first white ball is drawn from a group of 70, which means it has 70 possible numbers. The second ball has 69 possible numbers, and so on.
The figure gives us the following equation:
1,452,361,680 = 70*69*68*67*66
Like in Powerball, the order does no matter in this game. So, for more accurate results, you need to divide the total possible white ball combinations with the total number of orders. Let’s find out the total orders first:
120 = 5*4*3*2*1
On dividing the white ball combination i.e. 1,452,361,680 with the possible orders i.e. 120, we get 12,103,014.
To hit the Mega Million jackpot, you need to get all the five numbers as well as the golden Mega ball right. Unlike white balls, the jackpot ball is drawn from 25 numbers.
The chances you hit this Mega Ball are 1 in 25. On multiplying the white ball winning odds with mega ball odds i.e. 12,103,014 with 25, we get 302,575,350.
This makes your probability of winning the jackpot 1 in 300 million. To improve the chances, there’s always an option of buying more Mega balls lottery tickets.
After all, who doesn’t want a grand prize of $40 million? As mentioned before, the chances will still be slim. You should rather try for the general prizes.
Lottery odds vs General Odds
The best part about Mega Balls is that it has many more prizes for participants. From the above calculation, it is pretty clear that the chances of landing the big jackpot are next to impossible.
But if you manage to match a few numbers and the Mega Ball, you can win small prizes. The chances of landing the secondary prizes are quite good. Let’s have a look:
- The odds for winning the biggest jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. You need to guess the five major numbers as well as the Mega ball to grab this jackpot.
- The odds for predicting only five major numbers correct are 1 in 12,607,306. You can earn $1 million if you get the runner up spot.
- The odds for predicting four major numbers as well as the Mega Ball are 1 in 931,001. The winner gets $10,000.
- The odds for getting the four main numbers right are 1 in 38,792. The winner gets $500.
- The odds for predicting the three numbers along with the Mega Ball correct are 1 in 14,547. If you guess it right, you can win $200.
- Mega Balls offer a $10 prize to those who predict only the three main numbers right, the odds for which are 1 in 606.
- The same $10 prize is paid to the candidate who guesses two main numbers and the Mega ball right. The odds for this are 1 in 693.
- The odds for predicting one main number as well as the Mega Ball right are 1 in 89. If you guess only 1 right number with the Mega Ball, you’ll earn $4.
- If you can’t predict any number right but get the right Mega Ball, you will earn $2.
Mega Millions Multiplier
Mega Ball Lottery has a special feature known as ‘Mega Millions Multiplier’, which allows users to multiply the secondary prizes by five times.
It is available for $1. Mega Millions Multiplier Feature has a different drawing. The pool has a total of 15 balls, each featuring the numbers between 2x and 5x.
By participating in this lottery, you can multiply your winning odds as well as the non-jackpot prizes.
Powerball Odds vs Mega Million Odds
The odds of winning both Powerball and Mega Million Jackpot are slim. You need to be extremely lucky in order to guess all the five numbers and the Mega Ball or Powerball right.
Both games offer a hefty $40 jackpot prize for the first winner and secondary prizes for other participants who manage to get any number right.
You can play the game at $2. Overall, you can play both games or spend your money on one.
Remember that there have been many people who won the jackpot prize. You can be the next one. Keep trying and hope for the best. Good Luck!
Also Read: Keno: A Lottery Based Casino Game
