Lottery Odds Calculator

Calculate exact lottery jackpot odds. See Mega Millions and Powerball probabilities.

By Konstantin Iakovlev · Updated April 2026 · Source: BLS

Jackpot Odds

1 in 302,575,350

Odds Breakdown

Jackpot (all + bonus)1 in 302,575,350
Match 4 + bonus1 in 37,240
Match 3 + bonus1 in 582
EV per $2 ticket$0.00

Use the Lottery Odds Calculator above to calculate your results. Enter your values and see instant results — all calculations run in your browser.

Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, financial, or legal advice. Results are estimates based on the information you provide and current rates. Always consult a qualified tax professional or financial advisor for advice specific to your situation.

How It Works

Curious how slim the path to a jackpot really is? This calculator pins down your exact probability of taking the top prize in Mega Millions or Powerball and lays bare just how long those odds stretch. To put it in context, the Mega Millions jackpot for January 1st, 2026 might be estimated near $300 million, with Powerball on the same date climbing toward $250 million.

The engine rests on combinations, written nCr, where 'n' is the pool of numbers available and 'r' is how many you have to match. For Mega Millions and Powerball, it works out the combinations for the main balls, then multiplies by the combinations for the bonus ball since the two draws are independent. The product is the count of unique tickets possible, and your jackpot odds are simply 1 in that figure.

Dreaming is harmless, but extra tickets nudge your odds upward only by a hair while the probability stays vanishingly small. Lucky-number rituals and pattern-picking buy you nothing either, because each draw is independent and fully random, leaving every combination exactly as likely, or unlikely, as the next. One trap worth naming: the odds of winning any prize at all are nowhere near the odds of landing the jackpot, and the two are easy to mix up.

Example: Powerball Jackpot Odds

  1. 1 Let's calculate the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, assuming the standard game rules for 2026: 5 white balls chosen from 69, and 1 red Powerball chosen from 26.
  2. 2 First, we calculate the combinations for the white balls: C(69, 5) = 69! / (5! * (69-5)!) = 11,238,513. Then, we calculate the combinations for the red Powerball: C(26, 1) = 26! / (1! * (26-1)!) = 26. Finally, we multiply these two results: 11,238,513 * 26.
  3. 3 The exact odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.
  4. 4 This means for every 292,201,338 unique ticket combinations possible, only one will match all six numbers. To put this in perspective, you are significantly more likely to be struck by lightning or attacked by a shark than to win the Powerball jackpot.

Source: BLS · Last updated: April 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are approximately 1 in 302.6 million. You must match all 5 white balls (1-70) plus the Mega Ball (1-25). Smaller prizes have much better odds.
What are the odds of winning Powerball?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292.2 million. You must match 5 white balls (1-69) plus the Powerball (1-26). The odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.9.
Does buying more lottery tickets increase your odds?
Buying more tickets increases your odds proportionally but the improvement is negligible. Buying 100 tickets changes your Powerball odds from 1 in 292 million to 100 in 292 million (still 1 in 2.9 million). The expected return per dollar spent remains deeply negative.

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