EuroMillions vs Powerball: Odds, Prices, Draws and Tax Compared (2026)

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This guide compares EuroMillions and US Powerball on the points that can be checked: price, odds, schedule, how high a jackpot can climb, how it is paid, and who takes tax before the winner sees it. Every figure here comes from the lottery operators or tax authorities, and none of it is a reason to expect a win.

At a glance

• Price per line: EuroMillions costs £2.50 at The UK National Lottery and €2.50 in Ireland and at France's FDJ; Powerball costs $2 per play.
• Numbers: EuroMillions is 5 numbers from 1 to 50 plus 2 Lucky Stars from 1 to 12; Powerball is 5 from 1 to 69 plus 1 Powerball from 1 to 26.
• Jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160 for EuroMillions; 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball.
• Odds of any prize: 1 in 13 for EuroMillions (Ireland's figure for the main game); 1 in 24.87 for Powerball.
• Draws: EuroMillions on Tuesday and Friday; Powerball on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET.
• Jackpot growth: EuroMillions has a cap; Powerball's jackpot "grows until it is won".

Prices, and what sits inside them

The EuroMillions line price is the same €2.50 in Ireland and France and £2.50 in the UK. In Ireland, the rules split that price: "One EuroMillions Game Play costs €2.20 (two Euro and twenty cent) and one Ireland Only Raffle Play costs €0.30 (thirty cent)." Spain's price is not included here.

Powerball "costs $2 per play", except in Idaho and Montana, where it is bundled with Power Play "for a minimum purchase price of $3 per play". Since July 2026 The UK National Lottery has also sold Powerball at £4 a play, a separate product with a different payout, described in US Powerball in the UK.

These are the lotteries' own prices. A courier charges for its service on top; theLotter, for example, charges "a once-off service fee for each purchase". Lottery courier fees explained covers what that adds.

Odds: the Powerball jackpot is about twice as hard

Ireland's National Lottery gives the EuroMillions jackpot odds as 1 in 139,838,160, and the Powerball prize chart gives 1 in 292,201,338. Divide one by the other and a single EuroMillions line's chance of the jackpot is about 2.09 times that of a single Powerball line. For any prize at all, the figures are 1 in 13 for EuroMillions in Ireland and 1 in 24.87 for Powerball. Both jackpots are long shots, and no way of choosing numbers changes the odds.

Draw days and times

EuroMillions draws twice a week; the Irish rules say the draw "will take place twice per week on Tuesday and Friday". In the UK, The National Lottery shows the draws "first at 8.45pm every Tuesday and Friday". Powerball draws "every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET".

How each jackpot grows, and where EuroMillions stops

Powerball's jackpot rolls over until someone wins it: powerball.com says "The Powerball jackpot grows until it is won."

EuroMillions has a ceiling. Ireland's EuroMillions rules define a "Flow-down Cap" agreed by the lottery operators, which "will not exceed a maximum amount of €250,000,000.00". When the jackpot reaches the cap, it is fixed there, and money above the cap "will flow-down and will be allocated to the next lower prize tier at which there is at least one winner for that Draw". The rules allow "a maximum of five successive Draws" at the cap; if the fifth is not won, that draw's jackpot pool flows down too. Once a series that reached the cap ends, whether with a win or by flowing down, the cap rises by €10 million for the next series, in steps of €10 million until it reaches €250 million. The rules do not state where the cap stands today, so check your operator before relying on a figure.

On 2 October 2026 the operators were quoting different estimates for that evening's EuroMillions draw: FDJ showed "Près de 28 millions €" and Ireland's National Lottery an estimated "€30 Million Jackpot". For the Saturday 3 October Powerball draw, powerball.com advertised $440 million, with a cash value of $183.1 million, as of 2 October 2026. Each figure is the operator's own estimate, and converting currencies does not make them comparable.

How the jackpot is paid

Powerball jackpot winners "may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump-sum payment", and both advertised figures are "prior to federal and jurisdictional taxes". Ireland's EuroMillions rules describe a single payment instead: the top three prize tiers are "payable by cheque only at the National Lottery" in Dublin, and the Irish rules contain no annuity option. Other operators' payment rules are not covered here; the operator that sold the ticket is the one to ask. The trade-off between annuity and cash is covered in lottery jackpot vs cash value.

Tax at source

Tax taken at source depends first on where the ticket was sold; where you live can matter too, through tax treaties and your own country's rules.

• Powerball: IRS Publication 515 (2026) says nonresident aliens are subject to 30% withholding on "the gross proceeds from gambling won in the United States" unless the income is effectively connected with a US trade or business or exempted by treaty, and treaty benefits are claimed by giving the payer a Form W-8BEN. The IRS text does not say whether a lottery prize counts as treaty "gambling income", so ask a tax adviser; the list and its gaps are in US lottery tax for foreign winners.
• EuroMillions sold in Spain: Spain's tax agency applies a special levy to prizes from games run by SELAE, which sells Euromillones. Prizes up to €40,000 are exempt and the excess is taxed at 20%, withheld at source. Spain withholds even from non-residents whose prize a treaty exempts; they can then reclaim on form 210.
• EuroMillions sold in the UK: gov.uk lists "premium bond or National Lottery wins" among the things you do not pay Income Tax on.

For other countries, check the national tax authority rather than assuming a prize is tax-free. When a courier collects a prize, theLotter's terms say "tax treatment depends on the jurisdiction of the underlying lottery and any required withholding will be applied before crediting your Account". That covers prizes the courier collects for you; for large wins, theLotter's homepage says prizes "must be claimed in person in accordance with the lottery operator’s rules", which is a different payment situation.

Where each game is sold, and the rules on agents

EuroMillions is sold by national lottery operators, including The UK National Lottery, Ireland's National Lottery and France's FDJ. The Irish rules say a player may claim prizes "only against the relevant Lottery Operator (or its agent) who sold the relevant ticket to that Player."

Powerball's FAQ says players from places where Powerball is not sold can buy it "when visiting a selling jurisdiction", from a retailer licensed or authorized by that jurisdiction, if they meet the legal age there. It also carries a warning that applies to anyone ordering from abroad: "Some lotteries sell Powerball® tickets over the Internet, but the service is only available to residents of that jurisdiction. The sale of Powerball tickets over the Internet or by mail across jurisdictional borders is restricted. Lotteries may refuse to pay out prize money on Powerball tickets purchased on any website other than their own."

If neither game is sold where you live and you decide to use a courier, theLotter's US Powerball order page is where a Powerball order is placed. In the US, couriers operate only in some states; see where lottery couriers operate. For readers outside the US, the EuroMillions equivalent is theLotter's EuroMillions order page. Two cautions apply. In the UK, Ireland and France, the national operator sells EuroMillions directly. And for US readers, the Federal Trade Commission's guidance on lottery scams says "it's illegal for U.S. citizens to play a foreign lottery". Check on theLotter's site that its service is available where you live; its terms require you to be 18, or any higher age your country's law requires.

Results for both games are on theLotter's results pages.

Sources: The UK National Lottery; Ireland's National Lottery and its EuroMillions Rules (Issue 5); FDJ; powerball.com homepage, FAQ and prize chart (jackpot as of 2 October 2026); IRS Publication 515 (2026); Agencia Tributaria; BOE; gov.uk; FTC; theLotter homepage, How It Works page and Terms of Use v2.12. Information only, not advice.

Frequently asked questions

Which has better jackpot odds, EuroMillions or Powerball?

EuroMillions. Its jackpot odds are 1 in 139,838,160, against 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball, so a single EuroMillions line's chance of the jackpot is about 2.09 times that of a single Powerball line.

How much does a line cost?

EuroMillions costs £2.50 at The UK National Lottery and €2.50 in Ireland and France. Powerball costs $2 per play in the US ($3 minimum in Idaho and Montana), and £4 a play at The UK National Lottery.

Is the EuroMillions jackpot capped?

Yes. The rules set a flow-down cap that rises in €10 million steps to a maximum of €250 million, with at most five successive draws at the cap before the money flows down to lower prize tiers. The rules do not state the current cap level.

Are EuroMillions prizes taxed?

It depends first on where the ticket was sold, and your own country's rules can also apply. gov.uk says you do not pay Income Tax on National Lottery wins, while Spain withholds 20% on the part of a SELAE prize above €40,000, even from non-residents whose prize a treaty exempts.

When are the draws?

EuroMillions draws are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Powerball draws are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 pm ET.