Oz Powerball

• Next Estimated Jackpot AUD 12,419,900
• Australia
• 12/28/2024 11:30:00

Officially just called 'Powerball', this lottery is usually referred to as Australian Powerball to make clear that you're not talking about the US game of the same name, or simply as Oz Powerball, as it's operated by Oz Lotteries. It has existed in its current form since March 2013.

It's a 6 from 40 main draw, with a 1 from 20 secondary pot for the Powerball. To claim the jackpot, players must match all seven numbers, with a second prize tier for matching all the main balls without the Powerball. It's slightly unusual in that the lowest prize tier still needs two main numbers and the Powerball to be matched - odds of 1 in 110 for a AUD 13 prize.

Under current rules, the minimum entry for Powerball is two games, at a ticket price of AUD 1.20.

How to Play

Players must select six main numbers from 1-40 and one Powerball from 1-20, which is drawn from a second pot. Prizes start from matching two main balls and the Powerball, or four main balls without the Powerball. A single ticket costs from AUD 1.85 for the minimum of two games.

Only one draw takes place each week, with entry closing at 08:00 p.m. AEST Thursdays. The draw takes place at 09:30 p.m. AEST the same evening, before entry reopens for the following week's draw.

A PowerHit ticket plays your six chosen main numbers with all 20 possible Powerballs, taking the ticket price to AUD 34. The PowerHit is part of the Standard way of playing the game.

There are also 17 possible System tickets. These work in one of two ways:

• 'Fewer numbers' Systems mean you choose less than the standard six numbers. The system then plays your picks with every possible combination from the remaining numbers. There are 35 combinations for a System 5 ticket, 630 for a System 4 ticket, and 7,770 for a System 3 ticket.
• 'More numbers' Systems mean you choose more than the standard six numbers, and the system cycles through these to play every possible combination. You can choose anywhere from seven up to 20 numbers this way. A System 7 ticket has seven lines, ranging up to a System 20 ticket with 38,760 lines.

Types of System ticket

¹ These 'fewer numbers' systems combine your chosen three, four or five numbers with all remaining combinations of main balls from 1-40, increasing your chances of multiple wins.

Fast Facts

The current rules were introduced on March 1^st 2013.

NOT to be confused with the huge-money US Powerball!

Lots of 'System' options to choose from, some of which cost over AUD 50,000.

Trivia

One of the biggest single payout ever, AUD 70 million, went to one ticket-holder from Queensland on January 7^th 2016. The jackpot had passed AUD 50 million several times before that, including June 5^th 2008, July 30^th 2009 (when it hit a record AUD 80 million), August 21^st 2014 (two AUD 35 million winners), May 28^th 2015 (one AUD 50 million winner) and July 23^rd 2015 (one AUD 50 million winner).

Powerball was first introduced to Australia in 1996 with the memorable slogan "One ball could change it all!" and has overall odds of 1 in 110 to win any prize - playing 12 games will improve these odds to around 1 in 10.

Prize Tiers

Prizes and odds are based on a single line, but with System tickets, multiple combinations can be played together, improving the chance of a win and of a bigger payout, with a corresponding increase in ticket price.