The jackpot for Saturday (03/28/20) is $160 million. During the pre-coronavirus pandemic, the game would reset at $40 million if there was a winner. But with more people staying at home with shelter-in-place orders and self quarantines, Powerball executives said the new minimum will be $20 million with a minimum rolling increase of $2 million between drawings.
“Powerball players in many U.S. lottery jurisdictions are under shelter-in-place orders or recommendations from their governors or mayors, which have affected normal consumer behaviors,” said Gregory Mineo, Powerball Product Group Chairman and Maine Lottery Director. “Just like other enterprises around the world that are making adjustments, we are making proactive changes to continue to offer the world’s premier lottery product.”
Powerball is a multi-state lottery played every Wednesday and Saturday, and one of America’s two biggest lottery jackpot games. Other than the jackpot, there are other prizes that pay from $1 million to $2 million with a Power Play. Tickets are $2, and the Power Play is an extra $1.
“We would like to offer support to our loyal players during this unprecedented time,” Mineo said. “We are committed to being America’s favorite jackpot game.”
The odds of hitting the grand prize jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338, regardless of whether the jackpot size is $20 million or $1 billion—according to Powerball’s website. So even though the jackpot sizes will decrease, the odds of buying that winning ticket remain the same.
There are nine ways to win money during the Powerball. Just getting the powerball with no other numbers pays out $4, and even more if the power play is bought for an extra dollar. The same payout goes for one ball plus the powerball, and $7 is the payout for two correct numbers with the powerball, or three correct numbers and no powerball.
If all five white, numbered balls are chosen but the red powerball is not correct, then the payout is $1 million, with an even higher payout if the power play is chosen.
The last Powerball grand prize won was $70 million in the 02/12/20 drawing with a ticket purchased in Michigan.
The previous grand prize winner before that was on 01/29/20. That ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven store on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, Florida, for the $394 million grand prize, which had a cash option of $274.6 million. That 7-Eleven store will receive $100,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The other multi-state lottery is Mega Millions, which is played on Tuesdays and Fridays. The jackpot is reset at $40 million after a jackpot is won, and one line of numbers is $2, with a $1 option to multiply their winnings with a Megaplier.
Mega Millions has not lowered its minimum jackpot, as its minimum remains at $40 million for now. It’s jackpot was up to $101 million for the Friday (03/27/20) drawing.
