Powerball Double Play: Is the Extra $1 Worth It?

What is Powerball Double Play?

Double Play is an optional extra on a Powerball ticket. It costs $1 per play, so a play with Double Play costs $3, or $4 if you also add Power Play. Your numbers are entered in the main Powerball drawing as usual and then in a separate Double Play drawing that takes place after it, on the same Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. The main drawing is at 10:59 p.m. Eastern.

You don't pick a second set of numbers. The same five white balls and Powerball you chose are checked against two different sets of winning numbers. The Double Play drawing uses the same format as the main game (five numbers from 1 to 69 and a Powerball from 1 to 26), and its results are posted on Powerball.com's Double Play page and on state lottery sites.

How much does Double Play pay?

Every Double Play prize is a fixed amount. The top prize is $10 million cash in each drawing; it doesn't roll over or grow when nobody wins it. Because the number format is the same, the odds for each tier are the same as in the main game.

The figures come from the official Double Play prize chart and Powerball prize chart. The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.87 in each drawing.

The difference is in the middle of the table. Matching four white balls, or three plus the Powerball, pays $500 in Double Play against $100 in the main game. The small prizes are between 1.75 and nearly 3 times their main-game amounts. The trade-off is at the top: $10 million instead of a jackpot, and $500,000 instead of $1 million for five white balls.

Power Play does not apply to Double Play. Powerball's chart states that "the Power Play add-on feature does not apply to prizes won in Double Play drawings."

Which states sell Powerball Double Play?

Powerball is sold in 48 jurisdictions: 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Double Play is sold in 30 of them, according to Powerball.com:

Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands and Washington.

Some large Powerball states are not on the list, including California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia and Massachusetts. If your state doesn't offer it, the Double Play option won't be on the play slip or the terminal, and it can't be added to a ticket bought there. The list can change, so check your state lottery if you're unsure.

Is Double Play better value than Power Play?

Expected value is the average amount a ticket pays back in prizes over the long run, before tax. We calculated it from the official odds and prize amounts above.

Because every Double Play prize is fixed, its figure doesn't change from drawing to drawing. Power Play's depends on whether the 10x multiplier is available, which only happens when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less. The base ticket's return depends almost entirely on the jackpot: each $100 million of cash value adds about 34 cents per $2 play, before tax and before any split with other winners.

So per dollar, Double Play returns a few cents more than Power Play, and more than the non-jackpot part of the base ticket. That doesn't make it a good bet. Every option returns less than it costs. What the extra dollar buys is a second, independent chance at prizes that are more likely to come up than the jackpot.

Which add-on suits you depends on what you want from the ticket. Double Play gives you a second drawing and a better middle prize table. Power Play gives you a multiplier on the one drawing, and turns a $1 million match-five prize into $2 million. Our Power Play explainer covers the multiplier in detail. If you only play for the jackpot, neither add-on changes your chance of winning it.

Common misunderstandings

It isn't a separate ticket. The same numbers go into both drawings; you don't choose different ones.

It isn't a second jackpot. The Double Play top prize is a fixed $10 million cash. A ticket that matched all six numbers in both drawings would win the main jackpot plus $10 million.

The $10 million doesn't roll over. Every drawing offers the same $10 million.

Power Play doesn't multiply it. Power Play only affects non-jackpot prizes in the main drawing.

Powerball Double Play FAQ

How much does Powerball Double Play cost?

$1 extra per play on top of the $2 Powerball play, so $3 in total. With Power Play as well, one play costs $4.

What time is the Powerball Double Play drawing?

It is held after the main Powerball drawing, which takes place at 10:59 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Results are posted on Powerball.com and state lottery sites.

Do you need to pick different numbers for Double Play?

No. Double Play uses the same numbers as your main Powerball play. The two drawings have separate winning numbers, so one ticket can win in both.

What are the odds of winning the Double Play $10 million prize?

1 in 292,201,338, the same as the main Powerball jackpot, because Double Play uses the same five-of-69 plus one-of-26 format. The overall odds of winning any Double Play prize are 1 in 24.87.

Does Power Play work on Double Play prizes?

No. Power Play multiplies only non-jackpot prizes in the main Powerball drawing. Double Play prizes are paid at their fixed amounts, from $7 up to $10 million.

Is Powerball Double Play sold in Texas or California?

No. Neither state sells it, and neither do Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia or Massachusetts. It is offered in 30 jurisdictions, including Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Results for the main drawing, the current jackpot and number statistics are on our Powerball page.

Sources: Powerball, Double Play; Double Play prize chart; Powerball prize chart. Expected values are our own pre-tax calculations from those charts.