To play Powerball, you must select seven main numbers between 1 and 35 and an additional Powerball number between 1 and 20. Draws are held every Thursday at approximately 8:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, and the game can be played online or via authorised retail outlets. Find out more about how to play Powerball. The winning numbers are published on the Results page straight after each draw.
If you buy a Powerball ticket, you have the option to register for a playing card. Any entry you buy will then be linked to your card, so you can be contacted straight away by lottery officials if you win. You can also buy tickets in-store without a card. Powerball tickets are sold by newsagencies and convenience stores throughout the country.
Follow the steps below to learn how to fill out your Powerball ticket when playing in-store. Use our Number Generator to help you choose some numbers to play.
Visit a newsagency or convenience store to pick up a playslip.
Select seven main numbers from 1 to 35 and a Powerball number from 1 to 20, or opt for a Quick Pick to have them chosen for you at random.
Decide whether you want to play a Powerball system.
Choose how many draws to enter in advance, up to a maximum of 10.
Purchase your ticket and keep it somewhere safe. The cost to play Powerball is $5.40 for four games, plus commission for retail sales.
Wait for the draw and find out if you are a winner.
When a draw takes place, it is conducted in two stages. Seven numbers are selected at random from a pool of 35 numbers, before the Powerball is selected from a separate pool between 1 and 20. The same number can appear as both the Powerball and a main ball.
You must make sure you buy your tickets before the cut-off time, which is an hour before the draw takes place in the majority of states and half an hour in Western Australia.
To win the jackpot, you must match all seven main numbers and the Powerball. However, there are many additional ways to win, with prizes awarded for matching at least two numbers and the Powerball. Take a look at the Prizes page to find out how many numbers you need to match in each division.
If you win a Powerball prize, you can claim prizes up to a certain value from authorised stores or newsagencies, but for larger amounts you may need to submit a claim by post or visit your lottery operator’s head office. The process differs by region, and each jurisdiction also has different rules regarding how long you have to come forward. Visit the page on Claiming Prizes to read how to claim where you are.
Powerball rules allow you to choose from various different systems for more chances to win. With a system, you pick a range of numbers – more than you would usually choose for one Powerball entry – and you play every valid combination within that range as a separate line.
For example, if you play a system with eight main numbers, you would enter eight different lines into the lottery, as that is how many playable combinations of those numbers there are.
Systems are named after how many numbers you choose, so if you play a system with 10 numbers, it is known as a System 10, while one with 12 numbers is a System 12, and so on. You can choose any main numbers between 1 and 35 and any Powerball between 1 and 20.
One thing to remember is that you have to pay for every line you play, so the bigger the system, the more expensive it is, but the better your chances of winning.
One special type of system is a PowerHit entry, which guarantees that you will match the winning Powerball number. In Western Australia, a PowerHit is known as a Powerpik.
To play a PowerHit, you start by picking seven main numbers from 1 to 35, as you would with a standard entry. However, if you select a PowerHit, those main numbers are then paired with every Powerball from 1 to 20. You are therefore playing 20 lines in total. You do not need to mark all 20 Powerball numbers on your playslip – just mark the PowerHit option.
A Pick entry guarantees that you will match either one or two of the main numbers, although you do need to enter multiple lines to create the required number of combinations.
If you play a Pick 6, you just have to select six main numbers from 1 to 35 and mark the relevant box on your playslip. A total of 29 lines will be generated so that the first six numbers are always the same ones you picked, and the seventh is different on each line. As you have all 35 numbers covered across your different lines, you are guaranteed to match one number.
A Pick 5 works in the same way, except you only need to select five numbers and the final two will always be different. This guarantees that you will match two numbers, but requires you to purchase 435 lines.
You can combine Pick 5 and Pick 6 entries with a PowerHit to guarantee that you match one or two numbers plus the Powerball. The following table shows how many lines you need for each type of entry.
| Name of Entry | Numbers Guaranteed | Number of Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Pick 6 | One main number | 29 |
| PowerHit Pick 6 | One main number and the Powerball | 580 |
| Pick 5 | Two main numbers | 580 |
| PowerHit Pick 5 | Two main numbers and the Powerball | 8700 |
| Standard PowerHit | Powerball | 20 |
