Powerball vs Mega Millions: Odds, Prices, Draws and Courier Rules (2026)

Lottery couriers order official tickets on your behalf; prizes are paid by the official lottery. 18+ (21+ in AZ, IA, LA, MS; 19+ in NE). We hold a disclosed affiliate relationship with theLotter and may earn a commission from its links. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Powerball and Mega Millions are both sold across most of the United States, and on paper they look like twins: five white balls plus one extra ball, almost identical jackpot odds, and a jackpot paid as a 30-payment annuity or a cash lump sum. The differences that matter are the price, the schedule and, for anyone ordering from outside the US, how each game treats ticket couriers. All figures below come from powerball.com and megamillions.com as of 2 October 2026.

At a glance

Price, and the 2025 change

Powerball "costs $2 per play. In Idaho and Montana, Powerball is bundled with Power Play® for a minimum purchase price of $3 per play." Elsewhere Power Play is optional: "For an additional $1 per play, Power Play multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X", with the 10X level available "only when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less."

Mega Millions tickets "cost $5.00 per play, with a multiplier included", with "five multipliers randomly assigned at purchase and applicable on all non-jackpot prizes". The $5 price is recent, and the official FAQ dates the change two ways: the price went "from $2 to $5 beginning with the April 8, 2025, drawing", and "The Megaplier® feature was retired when the new Mega Millions® launched on April 5, 2025." April 8 was the first drawing at the new price; April 5 is when the new game launched.

Odds and prizes

Powerball's instruction is to "Select five numbers between 1 and 69 for the white balls, then select one number between 1 and 26 for the red Powerball." The jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338, and "The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.87." The second prize, Match 5, is $1 million, or $2 million with Power Play, at odds of 1 in 11,688,053.52.

Mega Millions players choose "five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 24 (the gold Mega Ball)". The jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336, and "Overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 23." Five white balls without the Mega Ball pays $2 million to $10 million depending on the multiplier, at 1 in 12,629,232, and "any winning ticket wins a minimum of $10."

A ticket's odds do not depend on how it was bought; whether a lottery pays out on a courier-bought ticket is a separate question, covered below.

Draws and current jackpots

Powerball draws "every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET" at the Florida Lottery's draw studio in Tallahassee. Mega Millions draws on "Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time" at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Ticket sales close earlier, and the cut-off varies by jurisdiction.

As of 2 October 2026, powerball.com showed an estimated jackpot of $440 million, with a cash value of $183.1 million, for Saturday 3 October; the Wednesday 30 September draw had no jackpot winner. Mega Millions' draw data showed $321 million, with a cash value of $131.1 million, for Friday 2 October at 11 pm ET; the Tuesday 29 September draw, at $300 million, had no jackpot winner either.

Both games pay the jackpot as an annuity, one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that each grow by 5%, or as a lump sum. The cash value is smaller because, in Powerball's words, it is "the amount of money required to be in the jackpot prize pool, on the day of the drawing, to fund the estimated jackpot annuity prize." Lottery jackpot vs cash value explains both options.

Where each game is sold

Powerball is sold in "45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands", and since 21 July 2026 in the United Kingdom, where The UK National Lottery offers "a single Powerball play for £4". UK and US players share only the jackpot; UK jackpot winners get no one-time cash option, and the UK jackpot is advertised in pounds after tax. See US Powerball in the UK.

Mega Millions is sold in "45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U. S. Virgin Islands; a total of 47 jurisdictions", and its FAQ says its tickets "are NOT sold outside the United States".

The courier difference

This is where the two games part ways for anyone ordering through a courier from abroad.

Mega Millions' FAQ: "Visitors to the United States are always welcome to purchase tickets for our game from an American lottery retailer while they are visiting this country. You do not need to be a resident or citizen to win. However, Mega Millions® tickets are NOT sold outside the United States. Mega Millions is NOT affiliated with and does NOT endorse any company claiming to sell our tickets around the world, online or otherwise. If you choose to do business with one of these companies, you do so at your own risk -- it would be up to the lottery that actually sold the ticket here to decide whether that ticket is valid for prize payment. Not all American lotteries will honor a ticket purchased online by a player through one of these companies. We also stress that Mega Millions rules prohibit the purchase of tickets by agents representing players in other jurisdictions." For that reason this site links no Mega Millions order page; theLotter's Mega Millions results page shows draws and jackpots only.

Powerball's FAQ says: "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." Its citizenship answer describes non-residents buying "when visiting a selling jurisdiction", from a licensed retailer. A courier purchase is a different route, and the FAQ warns that a lottery may refuse to pay on tickets bought through other websites. See also can foreigners win Powerball?

Readers outside the United States can see the total price on theLotter's US Powerball order page before deciding. In the US, couriers operate only in some states; see where lottery couriers operate. Availability also differs by country, so check yours on theLotter's site. Results are on theLotter's Powerball results page.

Claiming and tax

Both games require a claim where the ticket was bought. Powerball: "Prizes must be claimed in the jurisdiction where the winning ticket was purchased." Mega Millions: "any winning tickets must be redeemed in the state or jurisdiction in which they were purchased."

Powerball's advertised jackpot and cash value are "prior to federal and jurisdictional taxes", and Mega Millions' FAQ says "All prizes are subject to income taxes." For winners from abroad, IRS Publication 515 says nonresident aliens are subject to "chapter 3 withholding at 30% on the gross proceeds from gambling won in the United States" unless the income is effectively connected with a US business or "exempted by treaty". The IRS text does not say whether a lottery prize counts as treaty gambling income, so take advice from a tax adviser; US lottery tax for foreign winners covers the detail.

Prices, odds, draw times, jackpots and FAQ text from powerball.com and megamillions.com (including the Mega Millions draw-data service) as of 2 October 2026; tax text from IRS Publication 515 (2026).

Frequently asked questions

Which costs more, Powerball or Mega Millions?

Mega Millions costs $5 per play with a multiplier included. Powerball costs $2 per play, with a $3 minimum in Idaho and Montana, where Power Play is bundled.

How do the jackpot odds compare?

They are close: 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball and 1 in 290,472,336 for Mega Millions. The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.87 for Powerball and 1 in 23 for Mega Millions.

When are the draws?

Powerball draws on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET. Mega Millions draws on Tuesday and Friday at 11 pm ET.

Can a courier order Mega Millions for me from abroad?

Mega Millions' FAQ says its tickets are not sold outside the United States, that not all American lotteries will honor a ticket bought online through such companies, and that its rules prohibit the purchase of tickets by agents representing players in other jurisdictions.

What does Powerball say about courier tickets?

Its FAQ does not mention couriers by name. It says the sale of Powerball tickets over the internet or by mail across jurisdictional borders is restricted, and that lotteries may refuse to pay out prize money on Powerball tickets purchased on any website other than their own.

What were the jackpots on 2 October 2026?

Powerball advertised $440 million, with a $183.1 million cash value, for the 3 October draw. Mega Millions showed $321 million, with a $131.1 million cash value, for the 2 October draw.