Powerball vs Mega Millions: Odds, Prizes and How They Compare
A side-by-side comparison of Powerball and Mega Millions — jackpot odds, overall odds, draw days and prize structures.
The headline numbers
Powerball draws five numbers from 1–69 plus a Powerball from 1–26. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338, and the overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.87.
Mega Millions draws five numbers from 1–70 plus a Mega Ball from 1–25. Its jackpot odds are 1 in 302,575,350, with overall odds of winning any prize at 1 in 24.
Which should you play?
Mathematically, the difference in jackpot odds is small — both are astronomically unlikely. Your choice is mostly about draw days and which jackpot you prefer. Powerball draws on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; Mega Millions on Tuesday and Friday.
Because the odds are so similar, many players simply choose the game with the larger current jackpot, or play both when they want more chances to win smaller prizes.
Use statistics for fun, not prediction
Both games publish decades of historical results. You can explore number frequency, hot and cold numbers, and overdue numbers for Powerball and Mega Millions on our statistics pages. It is interesting data — but it cannot predict the next draw.