America’s jackpot game just got bigger and better.
Powerball is adding more chances to win cash prizes and bigger jackpots.
On Monday, a new drawing will join the weekly lineup of Powerball drawings, which are currently held on Wednesday and Saturday, giving players another opportunity to win.
A new feature, Double Play, will also be added to the mix, giving players in select jurisdictions an additional chance to match their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing with a top cash prize of $10 million.
“America’s jackpot game is picking up the pace to keep up with player demand – going from two drawings a week to six, if you include Double Play,” said May Scheve Reardon, Powerball Product Group chair and Missouri Lottery dxecutive director.
Unfortunately for players, adding a third drawing will not change the set cash prizes or the odds of winning, but it is expected to result in larger, faster-growing jackpots and an increase in the number of cash prizes and jackpots awarded annually.
“Players have let us know they want to play for bigger jackpots and cash prizes, and we want Powerball to deliver on their expectations” Reardon said.
The game itself will work the same. Players will still choose five numbers from 1-69 and one Powerball number from 1-26. The Power Play feature will be available as well for an additional dollar per play to multiply non-jackpot prizes. This add-on feature will only apply to prizes won in the Powerball drawing. All 48 U.S. lotteries will sell Powerball tickets for the drawing on Monday nights.
In terms of the Double Play feature, it can be added on to the Powerball ticket for an additional $1 per play. The way it works is players will choose the same set of numbers in both the main Powerball drawing and Double Play drawing. Tickets that include the Double Play feature will then be eligible to win in both drawings.
Double Play will be available in 13 states: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington. Other states may choose to offer the feature at a later time.
Both the new Monday drawing and Double Play feature will launch on Aug. 23. The first Monday drawing will be held on August 23 at 10:59 p.m. ET. The Double Play drawing will be held after every Powerball drawing on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Ticket sales from a third weekly Powerball and Double Play drawing will help fund public programs and services in each jurisdiction where the game is sold. Powerball has been supporting state causes since its first drawing in 1992, raising up to $25 billion to date.
The Monday Powerball drawings will be broadcast live by participating television locations. You can also tune into Powerball.com to watch the Monday Powerball drawings and Double Play drawings live online with the new live stream feature launched earlier this summer.
