The Powerball ticket window now has three options on the slip: Power Play, Double Play, and the base ticket. Most players check the Power Play box, ignore Double Play, and move on. That's leaving a meaningful add-on on the table — or, depending on how you look at the math, dodging a worse expected-value trap. Here's what Double Play actually does, where you can buy it, and whether the extra $1 makes sense.
What Double Play is
Double Play is a $1 add-on to a standard $2 Powerball ticket (so $3 total per play). When you check the Double Play box, your ticket's numbers are automatically entered into a second drawing held minutes after the main Powerball drawing.
The Double Play drawing uses the same number format as Powerball — 5 white balls from 1 to 69 plus 1 red Powerball from 1 to 26 — but is a completely separate draw with its own winning numbers, broadcast live on lottery TV channels and the official Powerball site at roughly 11:30 PM ET (about 30 minutes after the main draw).
You don't choose different numbers for the Double Play. Your ticket's selection is entered twice — once in the main draw, once in the Double Play. Two independent chances on the same numbers.
The prize structure
| Match | Powerball main draw | Powerball Double Play |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Powerball | Jackpot ($20M+ growing) | $10 million (cash, no annuity) |
| 5 + 0 | $1 million | $500,000 |
| 4 + Powerball | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 4 + 0 | $100 | $1,500 |
| 3 + Powerball | $100 | $1,500 |
| 3 + 0 | $7 | $20 |
| 2 + Powerball | $7 | $20 |
| 1 + Powerball | $4 | $10 |
| 0 + Powerball | $4 | $7 |
Two notable details:
- The Double Play top prize is fixed at $10 million — cash only, no annuity option. It does not roll over. If multiple winners match, they split. If no one wins, the $10M is gone (returned to the prize pool, not added to next draw).
- The mid-tier prizes are dramatically richer. A 4+0 match pays $1,500 in Double Play vs $100 in the main draw. A 3+1 match also pays $1,500. The middle of the prize table is where Double Play earns its keep.
Where you can buy Double Play in 2026
Double Play is available in 19 jurisdictions as of mid-2026 — slightly more than half of the Powerball-selling states:
States offering Double Play: Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Washington.
If you don't see your state, your retailer can't sell Double Play tickets and the box won't appear on the play slip. Our best-states-to-buy guide covers the tax and anonymity angles of each.
The expected-value math
For the $1 you pay for Double Play, the official Powerball expected value (EV) of the secondary drawing is approximately $0.55 per dollar spent, meaning Double Play returns about 55 cents on each $1 wagered.
That sounds bad. But the base Powerball ticket is actually worse on EV — about $0.35 returned per $1 — because so much of the prize pool is tied up in the unwinnable jackpot. Power Play is roughly $0.50 returned per $1 on the same logic.
So measured on expected value alone:
- Base Powerball ($2): EV ≈ $0.70 returned, 35% return
- Base + Power Play ($3): EV ≈ $1.15, 38% return
- Base + Double Play ($3): EV ≈ $1.25, 42% return
- Base + both ($4): EV ≈ $1.70, 43% return
Double Play is the highest-EV add-on per dollar. Not because it's good (no Powerball play is good in EV terms) — but because the mid-tier prize structure shifts more dollars into prizes you can plausibly win, and shifts less to the unwinnable jackpot.
When Double Play is worth checking
Reasonable rules:
- If you're already buying Powerball, add Double Play. The mid-tier prizes are meaningfully better, and the EV per dollar is best of the three options.
- If you're choosing between Power Play and Double Play, take Double Play. Slightly better EV, slightly better non-jackpot prizes, no need to remember which multiplier was drawn that night.
- If you're a one-ticket-per-roll big-jackpot player, skip Double Play. You're buying the dream of the $1B+ jackpot, not the structured tier prizes. Double Play's $10M cap means nothing to you.
- If you live in a state without Double Play, don't lose sleep. The state lotteries opting out usually have their own state-specific add-ons that fill the gap (e.g., Florida's "Cash Pop" structure, Texas's "Powerball Power Play" alone). The strategic difference is small.
Things people commonly get wrong about Double Play
"It's a different ticket" — No. Your same numbers are entered in both drawings. You don't pick separately.
"You can win the main jackpot twice" — No. The Double Play's top prize is $10M, fixed. It's not a jackpot. If your numbers match both drawings, you win the main jackpot + $10M cash.
"The $10M Double Play prize rolls over if no one wins" — No. It's a fixed prize that disappears when no one matches. Doesn't roll.
"Power Play multiplies Double Play prizes" — No. Power Play only multiplies main-draw non-jackpot prizes. Double Play prizes are independent and don't get multiplied.
"It's available everywhere Powerball is sold" — No. Roughly 19 jurisdictions out of 45 Powerball-selling states. Check the list above.
Bottom line
Double Play is a $1 add-on that genuinely improves the structure of your Powerball bet. Better EV than the base ticket, slightly better than Power Play, much better mid-tier prizes. The expected value is still negative — every lottery bet is — but it's the least-negative way to play Powerball, in the states where it's offered.
For tonight's Powerball winning numbers, current jackpot, hot/cold/overdue stats, and a history-aware Quick Pick, see the Powerball game page. For tonight's Mega Millions, the Mega Millions page covers the same.