Lottery tools
Lottery Odds Calculator
This calculator works out the exact odds of every match level for a lottery line, from the jackpot down to matching nothing at all. Pick one of the built-in games or enter your own format, and it shows how many lines win at each level, the odds as 1 in N, the percentage chance, and which levels are prize tiers.
It also answers a question many players wonder about: if you keep playing, how likely is a jackpot over the years? The answer is sobering, and the calculator shows it plainly. Nothing, including this tool, improves the odds of any line. Play only where it is legal for you and within a budget you can afford.
Lottery odds calculator
Exact odds for every match level, worked out from the game's format. Pick a game or enter any format.
5 from 1–69 + 1 Powerball from 1–26
Jackpot odds, one line
1 in 292,201,338
292,201,338 possible lines. Like guessing one exact second in 9.3 years.
Any prize: 1 in 24.9
| Match | Winning lines | Odds | Chance | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + 1 Powerball | 1 | 1 in 292,201,338 | 0.00000034% | Yes |
| 5 + 0 Powerball | 25 | 1 in 11,688,054 | 0.0000086% | Yes |
| 4 + 1 Powerball | 320 | 1 in 913,129 | 0.00011% | Yes |
| 4 + 0 Powerball | 8,000 | 1 in 36,525 | 0.0027% | Yes |
| 3 + 1 Powerball | 20,160 | 1 in 14,494 | 0.0069% | Yes |
| 3 + 0 Powerball | 504,000 | 1 in 580 | 0.17% | Yes |
| 2 + 1 Powerball | 416,640 | 1 in 701 | 0.14% | Yes |
| 2 + 0 Powerball | 10,416,000 | 1 in 28.1 | 3.6% | – |
| 1 + 1 Powerball | 3,176,880 | 1 in 92 | 1.1% | Yes |
| 1 + 0 Powerball | 79,422,000 | 1 in 3.68 | 27.2% | – |
| 0 + 1 Powerball | 7,624,512 | 1 in 38.3 | 2.6% | Yes |
| 0 + 0 Powerball | 190,612,800 | 1 in 1.53 | 65.2% | – |
Each row is "exactly this many". Which rows pay a prize, and how much, depends on the operator's prize chart. The Powerball comes from its own pool.
Playing over time
- Chance of at least one jackpot in 1,044 draws
- 0.00036%
- Time to reach a 50% chance
- 1,940,768 years
Assumes different lines in every draw. No system, pattern or generator improves these odds. If gambling stops being fun, free confidential help is available, for example from BeGambleAware (UK) or 1-800-GAMBLER (US).
How lottery odds are calculated
Lottery odds come from counting combinations. The number of ways to choose k numbers from a pool of N is written C(N, k). To find the chance of matching exactly k of your K numbers, multiply the ways to pick k of your numbers, C(K, k), by the ways to pick the rest from numbers you did not choose, C(N minus K, K minus k), and divide by all possible draws, C(N, K). Statisticians call this the hypergeometric distribution.
Where a game has a separate bonus pool, the same counting is done for that pool and the two results are multiplied. For extra balls the operator draws from what is left of the main pool, such as a bonus ball or supplementaries, the calculator counts those from the remaining numbers, so the figures match how the draw really works.
A worked example: Powerball
Powerball draws five white balls from 69 and one Powerball from 26. There are C(69, 5) = 11,238,513 ways to choose the white balls, and 26 possible Powerballs, so there are 11,238,513 x 26 = 292,201,338 possible lines. One line has a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of the jackpot.
The lower tiers are far more likely. Matching no white balls but the Powerball comes out at about 1 in 38.3, and adding up every prize tier gives roughly a 1 in 24.9 chance of winning something with one line. Most of those wins are the smallest prizes, which is why the calculator lists each level separately.
Built-in games and custom formats
The calculator includes 14 lotteries from the US, UK, Europe, Canada and Australia, each with its current format and a prize-tier column showing which match levels pay. For any other game, choose a custom format: up to 10 numbers from a pool of 1 to 100, plus up to 3 bonus numbers from a separate pool of 1 to 50.
Custom formats show the full table of match levels too, so you can compare a local game, a club draw or a format you are curious about. The prize-tier column only appears for built-in games, because only the operator can say which levels pay in a game the tool does not know.
Playing over time
Enter how many lines you play per draw, how many draws a week, and for how many years. The calculator shows the chance of at least one jackpot over all those draws, and how long it would take to reach a 50% chance. It assumes different lines in every draw, which is the most favourable case.
For the big jackpot games the time to a 50% chance usually runs to thousands of years, even with several lines a week. That is the honest picture of lottery odds. If gambling stops being fun, free confidential help is available, for example from BeGambleAware in the UK or 1-800-GAMBLER in the US.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate lottery odds?
Count the combinations. The jackpot odds are the number of ways to choose the main numbers, C(N, K), multiplied by the ways to choose any bonus numbers from their own pool. Lower tiers use the hypergeometric formula: C(K, k) times C(N minus K, K minus k), divided by C(N, K).
What are the odds of winning anything in Powerball?
About 1 in 24.9 for one line, adding up every prize tier. Most of that comes from the smallest prizes, such as matching only the Powerball, which on its own is about 1 in 38.3. The jackpot is 1 in 292,201,338.
Can I calculate odds for a lottery that is not listed?
Yes. Choose a custom format and enter how many numbers are picked, from 1 up to 10, and the highest number, up to 100. You can add up to 3 bonus numbers from a separate pool of up to 50.
Does buying more tickets improve my odds?
Each extra different line adds one more chance, so ten lines are ten times one line's chance. For a jackpot of 1 in 292 million, that is still about 1 in 29 million. Nothing improves the odds of any individual line.
What does the playing over time figure mean?
It is the chance of at least one jackpot across every draw you play, based on your lines per draw, draws a week and years. It also shows how long you would need to play to reach a 50% chance.
Are these the official odds?
They are exact mathematical figures from each game's format, and they should match what operators publish per line. Operators sometimes quote odds per play of several lines. Always check the official rules, and play only where it is legal for you.
For entertainment and education. Random numbers cannot predict or improve the result of a draw, and numerology and astrology are traditions, not science. If you play a lottery, play only where it is legal for your age and location, and set a budget you can afford to lose. Free, confidential help: BeGambleAware (UK), 1-800-GAMBLER (US).