Everything You Need To Know About Powerball Prizes

Powerball Thursday is Australia’s biggest official jackpotting lottery. Across Australia, there are hundreds of thousands of winners every week. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to become one of these Powerball winners but aren’t sure how to play, we’re here to help. 

In this quick and easy guide to playing Powerball, we’ll take you through the different Powerball Division prizes, what the Powerball winning combinations are, and how much you could stand to win. 

What are the Powerball prizes?

The Powerball jackpot begins at $4 million and rolls over each week if not won. While the jackpot resets after each Division 1 win, the game has seen jackpots of up to $150 million.

How to win Powerball prizes?

In Australia, Powerball has 7 main numbers and a Powerball. The 7 main numbers are randomly drawn from a barrel containing balls numbered from 1 to 35. Meanwhile, the all-important Powerball is chosen from another barrel of balls numbered from 1 to 20. To win Division 1, you must match all 7 main numbers and the Powerball in any one game line. The numbers can be in any order – you just need to have them all to win. 

However, you don’t have to match every single number to win in another Division in Powerball. You just have to match at least 2 main numbers plus the Powerball number, and you could win a share in the Division 9 prize. For more information on Powerball winning combinations for all 9 Powerball Divisions, take a look at the table below in the next section.

How many numbers do you need to win a Division in Australian Powerball?

Each Division of Powerball requires you to have a different amount of winning balls, and the prize money is allocated based on the odds of winning that division. The minimum Powerball jackpot you can win is $4 million. As we know that the Division 1 prize is worth 40% of the prize pool, we can calculate that the prize pool must be worth $7.5 million. If that is the case, then you can accurately work out basic minimum payouts for Powerball. 

The below table gives you a simple snapshot of the different Divisions, how many balls you need to win Powerball, your odds of winning and the basic Powerball payout you could expect based on a total prize pool of $7,500,000. So if you’re looking to see if your Powerball numbers are eligible to win any of the Powerball Divisions, this table can help point you in the right direction. Please note that this table should be used only as an example of what a potential Powerball prize could look like, and does not guarantee the exact amount of money you could claim should you win a Division.

Division	Powerball winning combination	Odds	Division Powerball payouts
Division 1	7 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:134,490,400	$4,000,000 (40% of the prize pool)
Division 2	7 winning numbers	1:7,078,443	$82,500 (1.1% of the prize pool)
Division 3	6 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:686,176	$82,500 (1.1% of the prize pool)
Division 4	6 winning numbers	1:36,115	$150,000 (2% of the prize pool)
Division 5	5 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:16,943	$112,500 (1.5% of the prize pool)
Division 6	4 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:1,173	$727,500 (9.7% of the prize pool)
Division 7	5 winning numbers	1:892	$570,000 (7.6% of the prize pool)
Division 8	3 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:188	$1,125,000 (15% of the prize pool)
Division 9	2 winning numbers + the Powerball	1:66	$1,650,000 (22% of the prize pool)

As you can see, your odds of winning Division 9 are just 1 in 66. So while the above table should be used as a basic guide only, it does outline how many balls you need to win Powerball and what you could potentially win based on the total prize pool amount. Remember, you need to share the total prize pool with other players that have also won in that division. But, you could be a winner just by matching 2 main balls plus the Powerball number!

How do Powerball prizes work?

In the above table, you may also be wondering why Division 9 pays out 22% of the prize pool while Division 7 pays out a lower percentage. This is because the chances of winning Division 9 are much higher than Division 7, so it’s expected that if you win Division 9, you’ll be sharing your winnings with other successful players around the country. 

That said, it’s still possible that you could win Division 1 alongside another very lucky player. In September 2019, the largest ever Powerball jackpot in Australia stood at $150 million and was won by three individuals. The jackpot was divided equally, and each player received $50 million. However, in January of the same year, a sole winner claimed the $100 million jackpot as well as an additional $7.5 million in prizes. The extra prize money was collected through other tickets which had won a number of Divisions. This shows that it’s possible to win multiple divisions in a single game – including Division 1 – and really clean up.

How will you know if you win Powerball?

Powerball entries close on Thursdays at 7:25pm AEST/8:25pm AEDT. You can tune in to 7TWO at approximately 8:30pm AEST/9:30pm AEDT every Thursday night to watch the Powerball draw live. However, if you miss the draw, there are plenty of other ways you can check Powerball results. When you create an Oz Lotteries account online, you can receive the latest draw results straight to your email inbox. You can also check the Oz Lotteries website for past draw results.

How collect a Powerball prize?

If you are a lucky Oz Lotteries customer who has won a Powerball Division, collecting your Powerball prize is easy. The morning after the Powerball draw, your prizes will be credited to your Oz Lotteries account balance. You can then choose to use the balance or withdraw the funds to a bank account or PayPal. Keep in mind, your account must be verified.

Are you ready to play Powerball?

Finally, here is our most important tip for how to win Powerball prizes: make sure you buy your Powerball ticket! It’s true what they say — you have to be in it to win it. So now that you know everything about Powerball prizes, make sure you enter the draw before Thursday night, 7:25pm AEST/8:25pm AEDT. You could be in with a chance to win the Powerball jackpot!