Powerball (Australia)


Powerball is a lottery operated by Tatts Group under the master brand, the Lott and its licensed subsidiaries including New South Wales Lotteries in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Tattersalls in Victoria and Tasmania, Golden Casket in Queensland, and South Australian Lotteries in South Australia. The Government owned Lotterywest operates the lottery in Western Australia.
The highest Australian Powerball jackpot was A$150 million on 19 September 2019. Most jackpot wins are not shared by multiple tickets. There are major differences between the Australian and American versions; in the US, a ticket automatically wins by matching the Powerball while in Australia a minimum of three numbers are needed being two regular numbers plus the Powerball. The American jackpot is annuitized while Australians winners always collect in lump sum. American lottery prizes are taxable, whilst there are no taxes collected on Australian Powerball winners. Still another difference is that all Australian Powerball prizes are parimutuel, versus fixed prizes on American non-jackpot prizes.
The game was first revamped on 1 March 2013; drawing six regular numbers from 40 balls plus a Powerball using 20 balls. This also allowed the introduction of an 8th prize Division. Other changes include an increase of 10c per play, and the introduction of an option which will "wheel" the 40 Powerballs although not guaranteeing a prize.
The current Powerball format was introduced on 19 April 2018, using two Smartplay Halogen II draw machines with the intention of offering bigger jackpots and creating more overall winners. In each draw, seven regular numbers will be selected from a pool of 35, while the additional Powerball continues to be drawn from a separate pool of 20 balls. A new, 9th Prize Division will be added. To enable the new format, the cost of Powerball entries will be increased.

Records

On 1 March 2007, the Division 1 pool was $33 million; it was the largest Australian lottery prize won.
On 5 June 2008, the Division 1 pool was $58,737,207.41; then the largest prize pool in Australian history to that point
On 30 July 2009, the Division 1 pool was $80 million, the largest Australian Powerball pool until August 2018. There were two Division 1 winners in the drawing.
On 21 August 2014, the Division 1 pool was $70 million. Two winners walked away with 35 million each.
On 28 May 2015, the Division 1 pool was $50 million, won by a single ticket. The winner was a woman from Canberra.
On July 23, 2015, the Division 1 pool was $50 million, won by a single ticket. The winner was a woman from Western Australia.
On January 7, 2016, the Division 1 pool was $70 million, won by a single ticket. The winner was from Queensland.
On January 11, 2018, the Division 1 pool was $55 million, won by a single ticket in the Melbourne town of Brunswick. The prize went unclaimed for almost six months but was finally claimed anonymously just seven days before it was set to be transferred to the Victorian State Revenue Office. In Victoria, the amount of time someone has to claim a prize is unlimited, however if it is not claimed within six months, it will go to the Victorian State Revenue Office where the winner can claim it at any time.
On August 16, 2018, the Division 1 pool was $100 million, surpassing the previous record for Powerball and equalling the Oz Lotto record. The Division 1 pool was split between two winners, one from Melbourne, one from Sydney. On 17 January 2019, a single person from Sydney won AUD107 million, making it the largest individual lottery win in Australian history.
As of July 18th, 2019, the Division 1 prize is $110 million. It was the largest ever division one prize, in Australias history.
No one won the 100 million jackpot in September, thus it went up to 150 million. It was shared by three winners, they got 50 million each.

Original Odds: 5/45 Regular Balls, 1/45 Powerball (prior to March 2013)

DivisionCategoryOdds based on 1 game
1st Division5 Numbers + Powerball54,979,155:1
2nd Division5 Numbers1,249,526:1
3rd Division4 Numbers + Powerball274,896:1
4th Division3 Numbers + Powerball7,049:1
5th Division4 Numbers6248:1
6th Division2 Numbers + Powerball556:1
7th Division3 Numbers160:1
Any Prize120:1

Odds: 6/40 Regular Balls, 1/20 Powerball (prior to 13 April 2018)

DivisionCategoryOdds based on 1 game
1st Division6 Numbers + Powerball76,767,600:1
2nd Division6 Numbers4,040,400:1
3rd Division5 Numbers + Powerball376,320:1
4th Division5 Numbers19,812:1
5th Division4 Numbers + Powerball9,132:1
6th Division3 Numbers + Powerball648:1
7th Division4 Numbers480:1
8th Division2 Numbers + Powerball110:1
Any Prize78:1

New Odds: 7/35 Regular Balls, 1/20 Powerball (from 13 April 2018)