The two games are sold side by side in most of the country and people tend to treat them as interchangeable. They have different ball pools, prices, prize structures and draw nights, and since Mega Millions was redesigned in April 2025, the gap between them is wider than it used to be.
How do the Powerball and Mega Millions rules compare?
| Powerball | Mega Millions | |
|---|---|---|
| White balls | 5 from 1 to 69 | 5 from 1 to 70 |
| Bonus ball | Powerball, 1 from 1 to 26 | Mega Ball, 1 from 1 to 24 |
| Price per play | $2 (Power Play +$1) | $5 (multiplier included) |
| Drawings | Mon, Wed, Sat, 10:59 p.m. ET | Tue, Fri, 11:00 p.m. ET |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1 in 290,472,336 |
| Odds of any prize | 1 in 24.87 | 1 in 23.07 |
| Match 5, no bonus ball | $1 million ($2 million with Power Play) | $2 million to $10 million |
| Starting jackpot | $20 million | $50 million |
| Record jackpot | $2.04 billion (November 2022) | $1.602 billion (August 2023) |
The Mega Millions column reflects the game as it has run since the April 8, 2025 drawing. The ticket went from $2 to $5, the Mega Ball pool shrank from 25 numbers to 24, the optional Megaplier was retired, and every ticket now comes with a random multiplier. Sources are the official Mega Millions how-to-play page and FAQs, and the Powerball prize chart.
Which lottery has better odds, Powerball or Mega Millions?
For the jackpot, there's no meaningful difference. 1 in 290.5 million and 1 in 292.2 million are, for any practical purpose, the same long shot.
The difference shows up in the small prizes. Mega Millions' smaller bonus-ball pool makes its cheapest prize easier to hit: matching the Mega Ball alone comes up about once in 35 plays, against once in 38 for Powerball's red ball. That's the main reason its overall odds of winning something are 1 in 23.07 instead of 1 in 24.87. More frequent small wins don't make the game cheaper to play, though, because each ticket costs two and a half times as much. Tier-by-tier odds are on the Powerball ways to win and Mega Millions ways to win pages.
What does the higher Mega Millions price buy you?
Three things, mainly. Every Mega Millions ticket is assigned a 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x multiplier at purchase, and it applies to all non-jackpot prizes, so the lowest prize is now $10 and second prize is at least $2 million. The jackpot also starts at $50 million instead of the old $20 million. Why Mega Millions costs more than Powerball covers the background, and is there still a Megaplier? covers the old add-on.
Powerball still sells its multiplier separately. Power Play costs $1 more per play and multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2x to 10x (10x only when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less), with second prize fixed at $2 million. So the closest like-for-like comparison is $3 for Powerball with Power Play against $5 for Mega Millions.
Which one should you play?
It depends on what you want from the ticket.
If you want the most jackpot drawings for your money, Powerball is the better fit: it costs less per play and draws three times a week instead of two. It has also produced the largest jackpots, including the $2.04 billion record from November 2022.
If you care more about the smaller prizes, Mega Millions pays more for them. Every match of five white balls is worth at least $2 million, and some prize comes up slightly more often.
If you want to play both, one line in every drawing costs $16 a week: $6 for three Powerball drawings and $10 for two Mega Millions drawings. The two games are independent, so playing both doubles your number of chances without changing the odds of either.
Is a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket ever worth it?
Not financially, in almost every drawing. The expected value of a ticket, meaning the average amount it pays back across all outcomes, is below its price. Very large jackpots narrow the gap on paper, but the advertised figure is an annuity; the cash option is much smaller (see lump sum vs annuity), federal and state tax take a large share, and big jackpots draw more players, which raises the chance of splitting. Covering every combination would cost about $584 million in Powerball and about $1.45 billion in Mega Millions.
The sensible way to play is with a fixed amount you'd happily spend on entertainment.
Where to check the numbers
The Lottery Atlas homepage shows the latest Powerball and Mega Millions results, and the Powerball and Mega Millions game pages keep recent draw history. Frequency figures based on each game's last 50 draws are on the Powerball statistics and Mega Millions statistics pages; they describe the past and don't predict the next drawing.
Quick answers
Is it easier to win Powerball or Mega Millions?
Mega Millions, by a tiny margin. Its jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336 against Powerball's 1 in 292,201,338, and its odds of winning any prize are 1 in 23.07 against 1 in 24.87.
Why does Mega Millions cost $5 when Powerball costs $2?
Mega Millions moved to a $5 ticket with the April 8, 2025 drawing. The price includes a random 2x to 10x multiplier on all non-jackpot prizes and supports a $50 million starting jackpot.
Is the Megaplier still available?
No. The Megaplier was retired when the redesigned Mega Millions launched in April 2025. Every $5 ticket now includes a multiplier. Powerball still sells Power Play for $1.
What days are Powerball and Mega Millions drawn?
Powerball is drawn Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern. Mega Millions is drawn Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
Which lottery has had the bigger jackpot?
Powerball. Its $2.04 billion jackpot, won in California in November 2022, is the largest US lottery jackpot. The Mega Millions record is $1.602 billion, won in Florida in August 2023.
If gambling stops being fun, the national helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Sources: Powerball prize chart; Mega Millions how to play; Mega Millions FAQs; Mega Millions jackpot history. Overall Mega Millions odds recomputed from the 5/70 + 1/24 matrix.
