Craving Sudden Wealth? Here's How Much You Can Win in the Powerball Lottery

On Oct. 29, no one walked away as a big winner in the Powerball drawing, driving up the $825 million jackpot to approximately $1 billion. If you’ve never bought Powerball tickets before, you might be wondering how to win the big cash prize. Is one number in Powerball worth anything?

If you’ve dreamed of becoming an instant multi-millionaire, now’s your opportunity as Powerball currently has a billion-dollar jackpot (worth about $497 million in cash). But what are your actual chances of winning?

There are nine routes to winning in Powerball. You can match all five numbers on the white balls (in any order) plus the red ball (Powerball) to win the grand prize. From there, the fewer numbers you match, the lower the prize money.

Possible matches and their prize amounts:

• All six numbers including Powerball = grand prize (currently $1 billion)

• All five numbers (not Powerball) = $1 million

• 4 numbers plus Powerball = $50,000

• 4 numbers OR 3 numbers + Powerball = $100

• 3 numbers OR 2 numbers + Powerball = $7

• 1 number + Powerball OR Powerball only = $4

If you only match one number, and it happens to be the Powerball, you do win something. But don’t jump up and down yet — it’s a $4 prize. That means you recoup the $2 paid for your ticket and get another $2 back. So, you won’t be retiring early off your one matching number in Powerball.

Your one matching number’s prize can multiply depending on the Power Play. This multiplies winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10. So, the most you can win with just one Powerball number would be $40 if it’s a 10X Power Play. (You must pay another $1 per play to get Power Play, and the multiplier rate is determined randomly before the drawing.)

Since no one claimed the grand prize after the Oct. 29 drawing, Halloween night will be the next opportunity for a jackpot winner. For tickets, go to a business that sells them, such as a gas station or drugstore. In some states, you can purchase Powerball tickets online.

Ticket sales may cut off one or two hours before the drawing time, which is 10:59 p.m. EST.

According to Powerball, the odds of winning any prize is always 1 in 24.9, whether the grand prize is $40 million or $1 billion. While winning the big jackpot sounds appealing for the opportunity to pay off debt, buy a house in cash, or travel the world, the chances are slim.

The odds of winning the jackpot are currently 1 in 292,201,338. The chance that your Powerball ticket will win you $1 million is 1 in about 11.7 million. And the chance that your ticket will match the Powerball only, for a $4 prize? 1 in 38.

If you win that billion-dollar prize, you’ll probably want to remain an anonymous lottery winner, which is only possible in certain parts of the country. But if you’re only pocketing $4, it won’t be much of a concern.