Powerball vs Mega Millions: which is better to play?

Short answer: Powerball and Mega Millions have almost identical jackpot odds: 1 in 292,201,338 vs 1 in 290,472,336. The real differences are price and frequency. Powerball costs $2 a line and draws three times a week. Mega Millions costs $5 a line, draws twice a week, and has included a 2X–10X multiplier on every ticket since April 2025.

If you want the most jackpot chances for your money, Powerball wins clearly. If you want bigger guaranteed minimums on small prizes and don't mind paying more per line, Mega Millions is built for that. Both games are drawn in the United States. On LottaGo, Powerball is listed as PowerJack (Powerball) and follows the official US Powerball draw.

Powerball vs Mega Millions at a glance

Facts were checked on 11 October 2026, on the operators' official pages unless noted below the table.

The Mega Millions "odds of any prize" figure comes from the California Lottery, a member lottery, rather than megamillions.com. Powerball's starting jackpot and launch year come from Wikipedia, because they weren't on the pages of powerball.com that we checked.

Live data, including the current jackpots and the next draw dates, is in the cards below:

How we compared them

We compared the two games on the things a player can actually weigh up:

1. Jackpot odds, calculated from each game's number pools and checked against the official figures.
2. Cost, both per line and per week if you play every draw.
3. Small-prize value: the minimum prize, the odds of any prize, and how multipliers work.
4. Draw frequency and schedule.
5. Jackpot structure: starting jackpot and payment terms, where the operator states them.

There's no scoring formula here, and no "winner" chosen by us. The right choice depends on which of these points matters to you. LottaGo earns a commission when you buy a ticket for either game through our partner, and that doesn't change the comparison. The partner's restriction list includes the United States, so it is not a way to buy from inside the US; US players buy from their state lottery's retailers.

Powerball in detail

What it is. Powerball is a US multi-state lottery. According to Wikipedia it is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), and its first drawing was in April 1992. You choose 5 white balls from 1–69 and 1 red Powerball from 1–26. Draws take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET.

Jackpot odds. C(69, 5) = 11,238,513 ways to choose the white balls, times 26 Powerball choices, gives 292,201,338 lines. Only one of them wins the jackpot.

Price. A line costs $2. Power Play adds $1 per line, for $3 in total, and multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X. The 10X multiplier is only in play when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less.

Small prizes. Matching just the red Powerball wins $4, with odds of 1 in 38.32. The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.87.

Strengths.

• Lowest cost per jackpot chance: $2 buys almost the same odds that cost $5 in Mega Millions.
• Three draws a week, so results come more often.
• Power Play is optional, so you choose whether to pay for a multiplier.

Weaknesses.

• The smallest prize is $4, against at least $10 in Mega Millions, unless you add Power Play.
• Jackpot odds are very slightly worse than Mega Millions.

Mega Millions in detail

What it is. Mega Millions is the other US multi-state jackpot game. Its sales began on 15 May 2002 and it grew out of The Big Game, which started in 1996. You choose 5 white balls from 1–70 and 1 gold Mega Ball from 1–24. Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 pm ET at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.

The April 2025 changes. On 8 April 2025, Mega Millions changed its game:

• The price went to $5 per line, with a built-in multiplier (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X) assigned at random when you buy. It applies to every non-jackpot prize and replaced the old optional Megaplier.
• The Mega Ball pool shrank from 25 to 24, which improved the jackpot odds from 1 in 302,575,350 (12,103,014 × 25) to 1 in 290,472,336 (12,103,014 × 24).
• The lowest prize rose to $10. Matching only the Mega Ball now pays $10 to $50, depending on your multiplier, with odds of 1 in 35.

Jackpot. The starting jackpot is $50 million. The annuity is paid as an initial payment plus 29 annual payments, each 5% larger than the one before.

Strengths.

• Slightly better jackpot odds than Powerball.
• Every prize below the jackpot is multiplied at least 2X, with no add-on to remember.
• Higher starting jackpot ($50 million).

Weaknesses.

• $5 per line is 2.5 times the price of a Powerball line, for almost the same jackpot chance.
• Only two draws a week.

Is Mega Millions the same as Powerball?

No. They are two separate games with separate drawings, jackpots and prize tables, even though both are sold across the US and look alike on paper. The quickest way to tell them apart:

• Ball colours and pools: Powerball has a red Powerball from 1–26; Mega Millions has a gold Mega Ball from 1–24.
• White-ball range: 1–69 in Powerball, 1–70 in Mega Millions.
• Price: $2 for Powerball, $5 for Mega Millions.
• Draw nights: never the same night. Powerball draws on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; Mega Millions on Tuesday and Friday.

A Powerball ticket is never valid for a Mega Millions drawing, and the numbers drawn in one game have no link to the other.

Which one is drawn tonight?

Because the two games share the week between them, there is a big US jackpot drawing on five nights out of seven:

The next drawing dates and current jackpots are in the live cards near the top of this guide. The latest numbers for each game are on the Powerball results and Mega Millions winning numbers pages.

The cost of a jackpot chance

The odds are nearly equal, so price decides how many chances you get. Here's what a fixed budget buys:

At $10, five Powerball lines give you 5 in 292,201,338, or about 1 in 58.4 million. Two Mega Millions lines give you 2 in 290,472,336, or about 1 in 145.2 million. Your $10 buys roughly 2.5 times as many jackpot chances in Powerball. What Mega Millions gives back is multiplied small prizes on every line.

The same arithmetic applies to expected value. Counting only the jackpot, a $2 Powerball line "breaks even" when the jackpot is worth about $584 million in cash after any tax. A $5 Mega Millions line needs about $1.45 billion. That isn't a reason to play either game. It shows that the higher Mega Millions price pays for the built-in multiplier, not a better jackpot chance. For the method behind these figures, see lottery odds explained.

Odds side by side

The table below is built live from LottaGo's data. It shows each game's format, jackpot odds calculated from the number matrix, draw days and line price:

Both games put the jackpot odds near 1 in 290 million, so the practical difference is what each dollar buys. For the method behind the figures, see our lottery odds explained guide, or compare every game on LottaGo on the odds of all lotteries page.

Which should you play? Verdict by use case

• You want the most jackpot chances for your budget: Powerball. At $2 a line, the near-identical odds cost far less.
• You like frequent results: Powerball, with three draws a week against two.
• You want every small win multiplied without thinking about add-ons: Mega Millions. The multiplier is built in, and the smallest prize is at least $10.
• You want a bigger minimum jackpot: Mega Millions starts at $50 million.
• You play only when jackpots are huge: the odds are effectively the same, so pick whichever jackpot is bigger on the day. Remember that a larger jackpot doesn't change the odds, and it can mean more people sharing it.

Whichever you choose, every line in the game has the same chance. The way you pick numbers can only affect prize sharing, which our guide to quick picks vs your own numbers explains.

FAQ

Which has better odds, Powerball or Mega Millions?

Mega Millions, by a very small margin: 1 in 290,472,336 against Powerball's 1 in 292,201,338. That's about 0.6%. For overall prizes, Mega Millions is 1 in 23.08 and Powerball 1 in 24.87.

Why does Mega Millions cost $5 now?

Since 8 April 2025, every Mega Millions line includes a random 2X–10X multiplier on all non-jackpot prizes. The game also moved to a 24-ball Mega Ball pool and a $10 minimum prize at the same time.

Is Mega Millions the same as Powerball?

No. Mega Millions and Powerball are separate US games with their own drawings, jackpots and prize tables. Powerball uses 5 white balls from 1–69 and a red Powerball from 1–26 for $2; Mega Millions uses 5 from 1–70 and a gold Mega Ball from 1–24 for $5. They are never drawn on the same night.

Is Mega Millions or Powerball tonight?

It depends on the day. Powerball is drawn on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET, and Mega Millions on Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 pm ET. There is no drawing for either game on Thursday or Sunday. So on a Friday it is Mega Millions, and on a Saturday it is Powerball. Check the latest numbers on the Powerball results page after each drawing.

Is Power Play worth it?

Power Play costs $1 more per line and multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2X to 10X. The 10X option is only available when the jackpot is $150 million or less. It never affects the jackpot or your odds of winning.

Can I play both with the same numbers?

You can choose the same five white numbers in both games, as long as they fit each game's range: 1–69 for Powerball and 1–70 for Mega Millions. The bonus balls must also fit their own pools, 1–26 for Powerball and 1–24 for the Mega Ball. The games are drawn separately, so a match in one says nothing about the other.

Lottery games are for adults (18+, or older where local law requires); play for fun and within a budget.