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What you need to win a Powerball prize
Powerball is drawn from two barrels. Seven winning numbers come from barrel A, numbered 1 to 35, and one Powerball comes from barrel B, numbered 1 to 20. WA’s lottery rules call it a mechanical, equally random selection of balls.
To win anything, one game needs at least two winning numbers plus the Powerball. That’s Division 9, the smallest prize. Six of the nine divisions need the Powerball, and the other three pay for seven, six or five winning numbers without it. The Powerball alone, or with one winning number, doesn’t win.
Here is every division with its odds for one game, as Lotterywest publishes them, and the share of the prize pool each division gets under the game permit.
| Division | You need | Odds per game | Share of prize pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 + Powerball | 1 in 134,490,400 | 31.50% |
| 2 | 7 | 1 in 7,078,443 | 1.90% |
| 3 | 6 + Powerball | 1 in 686,176 | 2.35% |
| 4 | 6 | 1 in 36,115 | 2.05% |
| 5 | 5 + Powerball | 1 in 16,943 | 1.55% |
| 6 | 4 + Powerball | 1 in 1,173 | 9.65% |
| 7 | 5 | 1 in 892 | 7.50% |
| 8 | 3 + Powerball | 1 in 188 | 16.00% |
| 9 | 2 + Powerball | 1 in 66 | 27.50% |
| Any prize | 1 in 44 | ||
The chance of winning any prize with one game is 1 in 44. The odds of Division 1 are 1 in 134,490,400, and that’s the maths, not a mood: every possible set of seven numbers from 35, times the 20 possible Powerballs. A bigger jackpot doesn’t change them.
If you’d like a game in Thursday’s draw, Oz Lotteries sells Powerball entries online outside WA and Queensland. Each game carries the odds in the table above, whatever the jackpot.
Buy a ticket for Thursday's Powerball at Oz LotteriesPowerball is drawn every Thursday · Oz Lotteries doesn't sell to WA or Queensland residents · 18+ · Gamble responsibly · Gambling Help Online 1800 858 858 · We may earn a commission
How the prize pool is split
Every Powerball division is paid from a pool rather than as a set amount. Under the Powerball game permit, 60.00% of gross subscriptions goes to prizes. That’s 56.50% for each draw’s prize pool and 3.50% for a reserve that funds additional prize money or promotional prizes.
The pool is then divided using the percentages in the last column above. Each division’s share is split equally between the winning games in that division. So a dividend depends on two things: how many entries were sold for the draw, and how many other people matched the way you did.
That’s why the two smallest divisions get the largest shares. Division 9 takes 27.50% and Division 8 takes 16.00%, because they have by far the most winners. In draw 1584, 24 September 2026, 561,325 entries won Division 9, as published by Lotterywest.
It also means a lower division can now and then pay more than the one above it. In draw 1581, 3 September 2026, Division 3 paid more per winning entry than Division 2, dividends as published by Lotterywest. It happened once more this year, in draw 1547 on 8 January.
What each Powerball division has paid in 2026
The table below is built from our archive of every 2026 draw, copied from Lotterywest’s published results. For each division it shows the median dividend, the lowest, the highest, and how many draws had no winner in that division. It updates after every Thursday draw.
| Division | You need | Typical (median) | Lowest | Highest | Draws with no winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 + Powerball | $40,000,000.00 | $5,000,000.00 | $80,000,000.00 | 28 of 39 |
| 2 | 7 | $155,158.55 | $11,604.45 | $543,579.70 | 2 of 39 |
| 3 | 6 + Powerball | $12,963.65 | $9,068.45 | $22,306.90 | 0 of 39 |
| 4 | 6 | $576.65 | $441.85 | $839.75 | 0 of 39 |
| 5 | 5 + Powerball | $215.30 | $166.60 | $252.25 | 0 of 39 |
| 6 | 4 + Powerball | $89.70 | $80.80 | $101.30 | 0 of 39 |
| 7 | 5 | $53.75 | $39.75 | $61.05 | 0 of 39 |
| 8 | 3 + Powerball | $23.85 | $22.40 | $25.50 | 0 of 39 |
| 9 | 2 + Powerball | $14.30 | $13.65 | $14.90 | 0 of 39 |
39 draws from draw 1546 (1 January 2026) to draw 1584 (24 September 2026), dividends as published by Lotterywest. The table updates after every draw.
I read the median as the usual figure and the lowest and highest as the range; my syndicate spreadsheet has the same three columns. Division 1 swings the most, because its size depends on how long the jackpot has been growing.
The last column matters mainly for the top two divisions. Divisions 3 to 9 have had winners in every draw this year, while Division 1 went unwon in 28 draws and Division 2 in two. Every 2026 draw has its full dividend table in the 2026 Powerball archive.
Division 1 and the jackpot
Lotterywest’s game guide says the Division 1 prize pool starts at $5 million and increases each draw it isn’t won. Once it’s won, the pool is shared between all the Division 1 winners in that draw, so two winners each take half.
Between 1 January and 24 September 2026, Division 1 was won in 11 of 39 draws, according to our archive of Lotterywest’s results. In the other 28 draws it jackpotted to the following Thursday. The odds per game stay at 1 in 134,490,400 however large the pool grows; what changes is the amount at stake.
The largest pools so far, including the record $200 million jackpot of February 2024, are on the biggest Powerball jackpots page.
Checking your ticket and claiming a prize
In WA, Lotterywest’s app checks online and registered tickets, and winnings on online entries go straight into your e-wallet or nominated account. For a paper ticket, scan the barcode on a retailer’s ticket checker and wait for the beep, or compare it with the latest Powerball results.
Lotterywest pays prizes up to $500 on a paper ticket at any of its retailers. Bigger prizes are claimed at its head office in Subiaco or by mail. It pays up to $10,000 by EFTPOS and larger amounts into your bank account, and it doesn’t pay prizes in cash.
Division 1 prizes must be claimed at head office and go through a 14-day validation period. You have 12 months from the draw date to claim, and unclaimed prizes go to Lotterywest’s community grants. Outside WA, check the claim rules with the seller on your ticket.
When Thursday’s sales close
Powerball is drawn every Thursday. Lotterywest closes sales at 6:00 pm AWST, which is 8:00 pm AEST. From 4 October, when NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania move to daylight saving, that’s 9:00 pm AEDT there.
Oz Lotteries is an authorised online reseller of The Lottery Corporation’s national games in every state and territory except WA and Queensland. Its entries go into the same Thursday draw. In WA, Powerball is sold by Lotterywest through its retailers, website and app, and the minimum entry of two games costs $3.15.
To play more numbers in one entry, see Powerball system and Powerpik prices. Whatever you choose, settle on a weekly amount first; our play responsibly page has free help and simple ways to set limits.
Questions people ask
When is the Powerball draw?
Every Thursday. Lotterywest closes sales at 6:00 pm AWST, which is 8:00 pm AEST, or 9:00 pm AEDT in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania from 4 October.
Can you win Powerball with just the Powerball?
No. The smallest prize, Division 9, needs two winning numbers plus the Powerball in the same game, according to Lotterywest’s division table.
How do I check my Powerball ticket?
Online entries are checked by the seller you bought from. For a paper ticket, scan the barcode on a retailer’s ticket checker, or compare it with the latest Powerball results.
How are Powerball prizes paid?
In WA, prizes up to $500 on a paper ticket are paid by any Lotterywest retailer; bigger prizes are claimed at Lotterywest’s head office or by mail, within 12 months of the draw. Elsewhere, check the rules with the seller on your ticket.
Are Powerball winnings taxed?
Recreational gambling winnings are not taxed in Australia (ATO ruling IT 2655).
Is buying from Oz Lotteries different from buying from The Lott?
Oz Lotteries is an authorised reseller of The Lottery Corporation, which runs the national games everywhere except WA, so your entry goes into the same draw. It doesn’t sell to WA or Queensland residents; in WA, Powerball is sold by Lotterywest.
Sources
- Lotterywest: Powerball, divisions, odds and jackpot rules, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotterywest: Powerball game permit, draws 1557 to 1598, prize fund and division shares, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotterywest: A guide to our games, barrels and the $5 million starting pool, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotterywest: Ways to play, divisions that need the Powerball, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotterywest: Powerball results, dividends and winners for every 2026 draw, copied after each draw
- Lotterywest: Frequently asked questions, sales close times and ticket checkers, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotterywest: Collecting your prize, checked 27 September 2026
- Lotteries Commission (Authorised Lotteries) Rules 2016 (WA), rule 91, how Powerball is drawn, checked 27 September 2026
- ATO: Taxation Ruling IT 2655, checked 25 September 2026
- Jumbo Interactive: Annual Report 2026, where Oz Lotteries sells, page 48, checked 27 September 2026
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