TWO GAMES. THE DETAILS SIDE BY SIDE.
Powerball vs. Mega Millions
Understand the formats before you explore the numbers. These are the current rules recorded in our archive.
Powerball
- White balls
- 5 numbers from 1–69
- Powerball
- 1 number from 1–26
- Standard ticket
- $2
- Jackpot odds
- 1 in 292,201,338
- Drawing days
- Mon, Wed, Sat
- Drawing time
- 10:59 PM ET
- Current rules since
- Aug 23, 2021
Mega Millions
- White balls
- 5 numbers from 1–70
- Mega Ball
- 1 number from 1–24
- Standard ticket
- $5
- Jackpot odds
- 1 in 290,472,336
- Drawing days
- Tue, Fri
- Drawing time
- 11:00 PM ET
- Current rules since
- Apr 8, 2025
Standard prices exclude optional add-ons unless the game includes them. Jurisdiction exceptions apply, including Power Play bundled ticket pricing in Idaho and Montana. See each game's rule page and official lottery. Odds alone do not describe a game's financial value.
Which game is easier to win?
Jackpot odds depend on the number of possible white-ball combinations multiplied by the special-ball pool. The displayed odds compare that single outcome under current rules. Other prize categories, ticket costs and jurisdiction-specific payouts differ. Neither game provides a dependable return.
Can I compare their number frequencies?
Use each game's own statistics page and select a single rule period. Pool sizes and drawing schedules differ, so raw appearance counts across games are not a fair comparison. See how rates and expected counts are calculated →