Better your odds of winning a Powerball lottery grand prize and try these numbers

Dalia Faheid
·4 min read
15

It’s all a numbers game when it comes to jackpots worth hundreds of millions.

The Powerball drawing on Monday is worth an estimated $675 million. The next draw on Tuesday is worth an estimated $480 million.

Since the Texas Lottery joined the Powerball game in 2010, two of its players have won the game’s grand prize.

Paul McDowell of Bells won the estimated annuitized $40 million grand prize for the drawing held on May 29, 2013. Andrew Weber of Austin won a share of the estimated annuitized $564.1 million grand prize along with two out-of-state winners for the drawing held on Feb. 11, 2015.

There are nine total prize tiers in the Powerball game, ranging from $4 to the grand prize. The Texas Lottery has had many players throughout the years that have won lower-tier Powerball prizes, including second-tier Powerball prizes worth $1 million and $2 million. Already in 2023, several second-tier Powerball prizes have been won by Texas Lottery players. Most recently, a winning ticket sold in Houston on June 14 for $2 million.

Information on how to play Powerball, including a prize chart and game odds, is available on the Texas Lottery website.

What to know about Powerball

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To score a jackpot in the lottery game, a player has to match all five white balls and the red Powerball. The odds of winning the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets cost $2 per play and can be bought on the day of the drawing. Drawings are broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evening at 10:12 p.m. CT. Stream online here. Tickets are not available during the draw break, from 9 to 10:15 p.m. CT.

Most commonly drawn winning numbers in Powerball lottery

Chances are 1 in over 292,000,000 for winning the Powerball. Here are some tips from Casino Bee to increase your chances.

Using the most commonly drawn winning numbers can increase your chances of winning. The three most common winning numbers overall are 61, 32 and 63. Other top numbers are 21, 36, 69, 39, 23, 59 and 62. Choosing the most commonly drawn Powerball numbers can increase your odds, namely 24, 18, 4, 10 and 21.

Picking the overdue numbers is also a good idea because they will get picked eventually. If you win the Powerball, you won’t have to split your winnings with a lot of other people since these numbers tend to be seen as unlucky and are thus avoided. The three least common numbers overall are 34, 26 and 13. Other numbers drawn the least are 49, 46, 4, 35, 24, 43 and 9. The least drawn Powerball numbers are 23, 15, 16, 12 and 7.

What to do if you win Powerball

Here’s what to do if you win the Powerball lottery, financial experts and former winners say, per State Farm.

Before you turn in winning ticket

  • Make multiple copies of both sides to show your lawyer, financial advisor and/or accountant, then lock it away in a safe. Before you sign the ticket, have experts look over the rules and contract. Take your time turning in your ticket, as the period to claim the lottery ranges from several days to a year.

  • Keep the win to yourself, especially before you turn in the ticket. If required to go public, protect your privacy by changing your phone number and setting up a new P.O. box. You might also consider forming a blind trust through your attorney to anonymously receive the money.

  • Write down your personal, financial, lifestyle, family and charity goals for the money.

  • Decide whether to take your winnings in one lump sum or annually over a period of time.

  • Sort out your estate planning, including your will, so your family is taken care of if something happens to you.

After you claim the money

  • Talk to your bank’s upper management or private banking department to discuss the best options for holding large amounts of money. Consider spreading your money across multiple accounts and banks.

  • Sit down with your advisors and figure out how much you’ll have after federal, state and local taxes, what expenses you’ll have and how much you want to give to charity. Then, set monthly and annual budgets for what’s left over.

  • Talk to your financial team about gifting taxation structures and how much you can give each year while maintaining your lifestyle. You may also want to form an official charity foundation.

  • Consider sticking with some sort of part-time work or a passionate hobby. You may want to try a new career or go back to school to study something you’ve been interested in.