Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States. It has more than 30 years of history, with winners in 45 states and districts of the American country. In general, it is one of the most lucrative, safe and reliable lottery options to play. The prizes are increasingly lucrative, in their different draws. Best of all, tickets can be purchased online.

However, it should be noted that Powerball is not just a lottery game in the United States. Currently, there is also Powerball in South Korea. It has its own 파워볼사이트 to play. Unlike the American version, the Korean version has a wide selection of lottery games. To keep you informed about both versions, here we will tell you the history of Powerball.

How did the Powerball lottery game originate?

Although its origins date back to 1988, the first Powerball draw was held in 1992. This is because, at first, it was called Lotto America. During the game’s early draws, it was only offered in 15 states. The minimum prize was 2 million dollars, where you had to guess the five main numbers from one to 45. There was also another additional draw of the same format.

It would not be until 1993 that Powerball began to gain popularity. In that year, a professor from the state of Wisconsin won the top prize of $111 million. Thanks to this, starting in 1994, Powerball began to be offered in five additional states. Then, in 1997, the game format changed to offer more prizes and give more possibilities to its participants. The guaranteed money increased from a minimum of 2 to 10 million dollars.

Powerball advances in the 21st century

As of the new millennium, the popularity of the Powerball lottery continued to grow in the United States. In particular, due to the arrival of the Power Play prize multiplier. This option consists of paying an additional cost, in order to multiply the value of the secondary prizes. Today, the second prize is doubled. However, 2, 3, 4, or 5 times their initial value multiplies the other prizes.

During the first years of the 21st century, more states were added to the fun of the Powerball lottery, until reaching the 45 states of today. This growth occurred thanks to the alliance between Powerball and the Multistate Lottery Organization. Thus, the Mega Millions lottery game also began to be offered in conjunction with Powerball. This made both of them more attractive to the public.

In 2002, renowned businessperson Jack Wittaker won the Powerball lottery, taking home the biggest jackpot to date. It was 314 million dollars, which was reduced to 170.5 after taxes. At that time, the popularity of Powerball drew attention in other countries. One of them was Korea, where Powerball Zero, the popular online lottery game, emerged.

With the increase in the collection of ticket sales, the prizes continued to grow steadily. In 2005, the guaranteed prizes increased from 10 to 15 million dollars. Then, in 2009, it increased to $20 million. The main balls were also growing, reaching 59 in 2009. In contrast, the additional Powerball matrix was reduced to only 39 balls.

With the arrival of a new decade, the Powerball lottery game was known throughout the United States. It had become one of the most reliable, secure and lucrative lottery options in history. To continue to gain the public’s trust, small and efficient modifications were made to the lottery. Now there are 69 main balls and 26 additional ones. In addition, the guaranteed prize is a minimum of 40 million dollars.

By 2012, the prize figures continued to get even more astronomical. The $587 million jackpot was split between two winners that year. Shortly thereafter, an 83-year-old named Gloria Mckenzie would win the $590 million jackpot.

Powerball in the current era

As of 2015, the Powerball lottery game has continued with meteoric growth. The jackpot record was broken in 2016, being 1.586 million dollars. Said prize was distributed in three different tickets, where each winner took home 528 million dollars.

In 2017, a Massachusetts nurse named Mavis Wanczyk broke the record for the largest Powerball prize won. With her ticket, she made $758 million. Nevertheless, just a year later, this record was broken again. This time, by Manual Franco, a Latino resident who earned $768 million. After federal and state taxes, the prize would be around 300 million dollars.

Recent Powerball Changes

Despite the inconvenience caused by COVID-19 and the he global pandemic, Powerball lottery games have continued. To accommodate the situation, several changes were made to the prizes offered. In addition, the lottery began to be played one more day of the week. Now, it airs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. It is expected that over the years, the prizes will continue to grow enormously.

According to the stipulations of the United States Multi-State Lottery Association along with Powerball officials, the changes are as follows.

• Originally, the guaranteed prize pool had gone from $40 million to $20 million. However, now the amount depends on the tickets sold and the interest rate.
• Drawings without grand prizewinners are added to the ticket sales of the next prize.

As time goes by, it is expected that these measures will be changed again. Keep in mind that the Powerball lottery has a lot of influence in other areas. In particular, for the charitable works carried out by both the organization and the winners.

How reliable is it to play the Powerball lottery?

Within the United States, Powerball is one of the most trusted lottery games, with decades of experience. The hundreds of lottery winners can bear this out. In fact, it is possible to win the Powerball lottery without being a citizen or being in the United States.

Its rules state the following: You do not have to be a US citizen or resident to play Powerball. Players in jurisdictions where Powerball tickets are not sold, whether in the US or abroad, may purchase Powerball tickets from a vendor licensed or authorized by the jurisdiction of purchase.

However, you should make sure that you play online with a reputable and licensed vendor. Otherwise, you will be exposed to being scammed for large amounts of money. Authorized sellers give you a digital copy, with the physical one stored in the United States. Therefore, the security of the purchase is fully guaranteed.

On the other hand, Powerball draws are made with a state-of-the-art machine. In this way, the balls are chosen at random, since they all have the same structure. In addition, the drawing room is under constant surveillance, with multiple recording cameras. The draw is prepared in the most professional way possible, in order to gain the trust of its players.

Ticket price

At authorized sales agencies in the United States, Powerball tickets cost $2 per line. If you decide to participate with the multiplier mode, the line will be priced at 3 dollars. Instead, if you are not in the United States, you will have to buy the tickets online, where they have a higher value. They must have a minimum of 3 lines, priced at $5 each.

The cost of online tickets is higher due to the paperwork required. First, the commission of acquisition and shipment scanned. In addition, it offers a series of advantages to the buyer. It is a safe, legal and accessible service. Best of all, it saves you the need to travel to the United States to buy a physical ticket. If you win any prize, there will be no additional commissions.

Requirements to collect a prize

It is that in case you have won one of the prizes that the Powerball lottery offers, collecting them is a simple process. There is no need to be a United States citizen, thanks to the online sales method they offer. Therefore, you have the possibility to win the Powerball lottery anywhere in the world. The requirements to collect a prize are the following.

• First of all, you have to buy an official lottery ticket. It can be physical within the United States or online anywhere in the world.
• The official receipt of the ticket must be in perfect condition. Otherwise, you will not be able to claim the prize you have won. When buying them online, they remain under security.
• In the United States, all you have to do is go to an authorized Powerball retailer to claim your prize. In that place, they will give you the instructions to follow and where to collect the money earned.
• When playing online, the money will be deposited on the platform of the authorized portal where the purchase was made. These do not charge commission, but deduct the corresponding taxes.
• The only way to claim a prize won is by being of legal age. You have to present your identity documents, in order to validate that you have the right to play the lottery.

Time limit to claim a prize

The validity of each Powerball lottery ticket has an expiration date. However, this depends on where the ticket was purchased. The period ranges from 90 days to a year. The distribution of expiration dates is as follows.

90 days: New Mexico.

180 days: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

182 days: Maryland.

6 months: Virgin Islands.

1 year: California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.

It should be noted that these states also offer options to claim the prize anonymously. Although, not all have such a law. Only in Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Carolina is the winner’s identity protected. Instead, Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado, and Massachusetts allow the award to be received by a trust.

Taxes for winning Powerball

Any Powerball prizes over $599.99 are reduced by US taxes. If you are a legal resident, you must pay 24% federal tax. On the other hand, non-residents of the American country must pay 30%. In addition to that, there are state and local taxes to consider.

In some states, there is no tax in addition to the federal one. However, others require an extra commission that can go up to 10.9%. It all depends on where you made the purchase for the ticket.

Options for getting paid for winning Powerball lottery prizes

One of the main advantages of winning the Powerball jackpot is that you have two payment options. You can receive all the money in one payment. However, you can also take it in 30 payments divided by a period of 29 years. Winners generally choose the first option, since you would only have to pay the federal tax once.

On the other hand, the payment of annuities is different. Split over 29 years, federal, state, and local taxes may change over time. Inflation or other economic reasons may end up affecting you. In the end, you may receive less total money than the one-time payment. Both options, however, offer generational riches that you and your loved ones will enjoy for decades to come.

Odds of Winning Powerball Today

Before you buy a Powerball lottery ticket, you should keep in mind that millions of people around the world do the same thing. Therefore, the chances of winning the game are minimal. With 69 main numbers and 26 additional numbers, there are 292,201,338 combinations. Where only one turns out to be a winner.

Taking these numbers into account, the probability of being the winner of the Powerball lottery is 1 in 292,201,338 people. However, this does not mean that you should not play the lottery. Especially considering how cheap tickets are. Although unlikely, it is possible. In 2016, there were three jackpot winners, against all odds.

If it is something that excites you, you can continue buying tickets, as long as you do it in a responsible way. Delimit your budget and needs first. Then you can afford to participate in the Powerball lottery.