Powerball is a lottery game modelled on the highly successful American Powerball game. The game is administered by Tattersall's, and syndicated to all states through the Australian Lotto Bloc. Draws take place on Thursday nights, with the first draw held on 23 May 1996. Each Powerball game costs 75 cents plus agent's commission, with most states requiring standard games be bought two at a time.
Powerball uses two barrels to determine its winning numbers: five numbers are drawn at random from a barrel of 45 (standard winning numbers), then one number, the namesake Powerball, is drawn at random from a separate barrel of 45. To win first division the player needs to have all five numbers in their game as well as select the correct Powerball. For coupon entries; the Powerball is selected in a separate box to the winning numbers. In an automated pick a computer randomly allocates the player five numbers as well as a Powerball for each game line.
Powerball offers a slightly better odds overall for winning any prize than Saturday Lotto, partly due to its seven-division structure; however, its first division is about six times harder to win:
| Division | Required Winning Numbers | Probability (Single Game) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Division | 5 + Powerball | 1 in 54,979,155 |
| 2nd Division | 5 | 1 in 1,249,526 |
| 3rd Division | 4 + Powerball | 1 in 274,896 |
| 4th Division | 3 + Powerball | 1 in 7,049 |
| 5th Division | 4 | 1 in 6,248 |
| 6th Division | 2 + Powerball | 1 in 556 |
| 7th Division | 3 | 1 in 160 |
| Any Prize | 1 in 120 |
Systems entries are available on Powerball, however only one Powerball is selected for a standard system entry. Players can also purchase an entry that guarantees the Powerball for a game entry - this costs the same as playing 45 individual games. This is known in New South Wales and South Australia as "Power45", in Queensland and Tatts' states as a "PowerHit", and in Western Australia as a "Powerpik". System entries and guaranteed Powerball options can sometimes be combined.
A major difference between Australian Powerball versus the US game is that the latter was created in part to allow a player to win by matching only one number, if it is the Powerball. Also, while US Powerball prizes are taxable, its players do not pay agents' commission, so wagers are always a multiple of US$1.
Powerball's largest jackpot prize to date is $80 million, which was shared between two tickets (in Victoria and New South Wales) on 30 July 2009.
Read more about this topic: Lotteries In Australia