(Nexstar) – If you haven’t purchased a Powerball ticket in Missouri or Texas, it’s likely that Saturday’s draw, which boasted a hefty $1.787 billion jackpot, didn’t land you a win. But hold on before you toss your tickets aside.
Only two tickets matched the winning numbers for this massive jackpot, noted as the second-largest in U.S. lottery history. However, Powerball officials revealed that over 9.9 million tickets still managed to snag cash prizes during Saturday’s drawing.
There are, in fact, eight different ways to win with Powerball, not counting the jackpot itself, and players have about a 1 in 24.87 chance of winning something.
Following the jackpot, the next largest prize was $1 million, awarded to those who matched all five main numbers without the Powerball. There were 18 winners of this prize, with two coming from California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas, as well as additional winners from Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and West Virginia.
For an extra $1 per play, players can opt for Power Play, which boosts non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 10 times. The multiplier is randomly chosen just before each drawing, and a 10x multiplier is only an option if the jackpot is below $150 million.
Thanks to Power Play, two tickets each from Kansas and Texas turned their $1 million wins into $2 million prizes. This has been confirmed.
Powerball offers another incentive: matching four numbers with the Powerball nets you a $50,000 prize. In Saturday’s drawing, 17 lucky tickets did just that, with 232 tickets claiming this reward, and 90 of those doubling their payouts through the Power Play option.
Even matching fewer numbers can lead to a payout. For instance, if you match three main numbers or the four main numbers (with or without the Powerball), you can win $100. Matching two main numbers with the Powerball or three main numbers earns you a $7 prize.
On the lower end, the smallest prize of $4 requires matching the Red Powerball Number or pairing the Powerball with one white ball number.
Regardless of the size of your potential winnings, if your ticket matches any number, it’s essential to sign it. The process for claiming your prize and the timeframe for doing so will differ based on your location.
