The Mega Millions and Powerball are the two biggest lottery games in the United States. Both games offer incredibly large jackpot prizes that are often hundreds of millions of dollars. With so much money up for grabs, many lottery players are curious about which game gives them better odds of winning.
In this article, we’ll compare and contrast the Mega Millions and Powerball games. We’ll look at the differences in how the games work, the odds of winning various prizes, and do an analysis of past winning numbers and jackpots. By the end, you should have a good understanding of whether Mega Millions or Powerball offers better odds for players.
How Mega Millions Works
The Mega Millions game has been around since 2002. It is currently offered in 45 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
To play Mega Millions, players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers. The first pool is 1-70 while the second pool is 1-25. Players can either select their own six numbers using a play slip or opt for a Quick Pick and have the numbers randomly generated by the lottery terminal.
The cost of a Mega Millions ticket is $2 per play. Players can multiply their non-jackpot winnings with the Megaplier option for an additional $1 per play. This Megaplier randomly selects a multiplier between 2X and 5X to increase non-jackpot prizes.
There are nine prize tiers in Mega Millions, ranging from $2 for matching just the Mega Ball up to the game’s huge jackpot for matching all six numbers:
- Match 5 numbers + Mega Ball = Jackpot
- Match 5 numbers = $1 million
- Match 4 numbers + Mega Ball = $10,000
- Match 4 numbers = $500
- Match 3 numbers + Mega Ball = $200
- Match 3 numbers = $10
- Match 2 numbers + Mega Ball = $10
- Match 1 number + Mega Ball = $4
- Match Mega Ball = $2
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET. At each drawing, five white balls are drawn from the 1-70 pool while one gold Mega Ball is drawn from the second 1-25 pool.
To win the Mega Millions jackpot, players must match all five white balls in any order as well as the Mega Ball. The starting guaranteed jackpot is $40 million, but it continues growing based on ticket sales until someone wins it.
How Powerball Works
Powerball is the other hugely popular national lottery game in the U.S. It is currently offered by 45 states, along with Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In Powerball, players choose five main numbers from 1-69 and one Powerball number from 1-26. As with Mega Millions, players can select their own numbers or go with a computer-generated Quick Pick.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each. For an extra $1 per play, players can add the Power Play option to multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times.
The Powerball prize structure is similar to Mega Millions with nine ways to win a prize:
- Match 5 numbers + Powerball = Jackpot
- Match 5 numbers = $1 million
- Match 4 numbers + Powerball = $50,000
- Match 4 numbers = $100
- Match 3 numbers + Powerball = $100
- Match 3 numbers = $7
- Match 2 numbers + Powerball = $7
- Match 1 number + Powerball = $4
- Match Powerball = $4
Powerball also holds drawings twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. ET. Players need to match all five white balls and the red Powerball to hit the jackpot prize. The Powerball starting jackpot is $40 million and rolls over when not won.
Now that we’ve reviewed how both games work, let’s compare the odds of winning a prize.
Mega Millions vs Powerball Odds
The chances of winning a prize in either game are extremely long. But looking at the odds helps determine which game provides better chances to players.
Here are the odds of winning various prizes in Mega Millions:
| Prize | Odds (1 in…) |
|---|---|
| Jackpot | 302,575,350 |
| $1 million (Match 5) | 12,607,306 |
| $10,000 (Match 4+MB) | 931,001 |
| $500 (Match 4) | 38,792 |
| $200 (Match 3+MB) | 14,547 |
| $10 (Match 3) | 606 |
| $10 (Match 2+MB) | 693 |
| $4 (Match 1+MB) | 89 |
| $2 (Match MB) | 37 |
And here are the Powerball odds:
| Prize | Odds (1 in…) |
|---|---|
| Jackpot | 292,201,338 |
| $1 million (Match 5) | 11,688,053 |
| $50,000 (Match 4+PB) | 913,129 |
| $100 (Match 4) | 36,525 |
| $100 (Match 3+PB) | 14,494 |
| $7 (Match 3) | 580 |
| $7 (Match 2+PB) | 702 |
| $4 (Match 1+PB) | 91 |
| $4 (Match PB) | 38 |
Looking at the odds side-by-side, we can see that Mega Millions and Powerball are quite similar in several prize tiers. The odds of winning $1 million by matching 5 numbers are nearly identical at around 1 in 12 million for both games. The $10,000/$50,000 prize for matching 4 numbers plus the Mega Ball/Powerball are also in the same ballpark at around 1 in 900,000 to 1 in 1 million odds.
The biggest difference comes with the jackpot odds. Mega Millions is slightly harder to win at 1 in 302 million compared to Powerball’s 1 in 292 million odds. So the Powerball jackpot is won slightly more frequently in general.
However, the Mega Millions odds are better than Powerball in the lower tiers. Matching 3 numbers, 2 numbers plus the Mega Ball, or just the Mega Ball all have more favorable odds in Mega Millions than Powerball.
Overall the odds are broadly similar between the two lottery giants. Powerball holds a small edge in hitting the jackpot, while Mega Millions offers better odds at winning a smaller prize. But both games remain incredibly hard to win with odds in the hundreds of millions.
Next we’ll analyze the data on jackpots and winners over the years to see if that sheds light on which game has paid out more.
Mega Millions vs Powerball Jackpots and Winners
In this section, we’ll compare the biggest jackpots and number of winners between Mega Millions and Powerball. Analyzing this data can reveal insights about the games.
Largest Jackpots
Here are the top 10 largest jackpots in Mega Millions and Powerball history:
| Mega Millions | Jackpot | Powerball | Jackpot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 10/23/2018 | $1.537 billion | 1. 1/13/2016 | $1.586 billion |
| 2. 7/29/2022 | $1.337 billion | 2. 10/4/2021 | $699.8 million |
| 3. 1/5/2021 | $1.050 billion | 3. 3/27/2019 | $768.4 million |
| 4. 12/17/2013 | $648 million | 4. 8/23/2017 | $758.7 million |
| 5. 3/30/2012 | $656 million | 5. 1/20/2021 | $731.1 million |
| 6. 4/22/2022 | $516 million | 6. 5/18/2013 | $590.5 million |
| 7. 11/4/2022 | $502 million | 7. 2/11/2015 | $564.1 million |
| 8. 7/8/2022 | $494 million | 8. 11/2/2022 | $494.7 million |
| 9. 6/7/2019 | $414 million | 9. 6/10/2021 | $473.1 million |
| 10. 3/12/2019 | $399 million | 10. 11/2/2022 | $476.3 million |
Based on the top 10 jackpots, Powerball holds a slight edge over Mega Millions in terms of biggest prizes. Powerball has the top two jackpots in U.S. lottery history with amounts over $1.5 billion and $700 million respectively.
Mega Millions has scored some mammoth jackpots of its own, but its largest prize of $1.537 billion ranks just third overall. Powerball also seems to reach into the $500-$700 million range more frequently than Mega Millions based on this data.
However, Mega Millions has produced more jackpots over $400 million than Powerball in recent years. So while Powerball’s maximum jackpots may run higher, Mega Millions delivers huge jackpots more regularly.
Number of Jackpot Winners
Next let’s examine the number of jackpot winners crowned by each game:
| Game | Jackpots Won |
|---|---|
| Mega Millions | 25 |
| Powerball | 38 |
Although Powerball has produced larger record jackpots, Mega Millions has actually awarded more total jackpots, with 25 since 2002 compared to 38 for Powerball. Mega Millions jackpots are won roughly once every 12 drawings on average.
Powerball jackpots tend to roll over more times before someone wins. Its jackpots are won approximately once every 16 drawings. The increased rollovers are why Powerball jackpots can swell to higher amounts than Mega Millions.
But for players, Mega Millions offers better odds of potentially winning a jackpot sooner rather than later due to its more frequent payouts.
States Where Won
The states where jackpots have been won reflects the regional reach of each game:
| Mega Millions | States | Powerball | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 jackpots | California (5), New York (4), New Jersey (2), Illinois (2), Virginia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington | 31 jackpots | California (6), Florida (6), Missouri (3), New Hampshire (2), Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico |
| 8 jackpots | Georgia (2), Idaho, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina | 7 jackpots | Colorado, Georgia (2), Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey (2), West Virginia |
California and New York have delivered the most Mega Millions jackpot wins with 5 and 4 respectively. Powerball jackpots have been most frequently won in California with 6.
But Powerball jackpot wins are generally more spread out across different states. This likely reflects its wider overall availability and popularity across more participating US lotteries.
Conclusions
Analyzing the games shows that Mega Millions and Powerball are quite similar in their structure, odds, and jackpots. A few key conclusions:
- Powerball has better odds for the jackpot prize at 1 in 292 million vs. Mega Millions at 1 in 302 million. But Mega Millions has more favorable odds for smaller secondary prizes.
- Mega Millions jackpots are won more frequently, about once every 12 drawings on average versus Powerball’s once every 16 drawings.
- Powerball holds the record for the two largest lottery jackpots in US history at over $1.5 billion and $700 million. But Mega Millions reaches jackpots over $400 million more regularly.
- Both games have produced dozens of massive jackpot winners spread across many different participating states.
Overall, while Powerball has bigger maximum jackpots, Mega Millions offers modestly better odds and more frequent jackpot payouts. The differences between the two games are generally quite small.
Lottery players have excellent chances of winning a major prize whether they decide to play Mega Millions or Powerball. Both games provide life-changing jackpots after just a $2 ticket purchase. Simply having a ticket gives millions of Americans a shot to win a fortune and become the next multimillionaire with numbers aligning in their favor!