POWERBALL© stands as one of the most widely played draw games available to try your chances at the West Virginia Lottery, accessible both in-store and online. With its substantial prize structure and straightforward rules, POWERBALL drawings offer multiple ways to participate and various prize tiers you could go after. Here’s what you need to know about this nationally recognized game.
How the jackpot works
POWERBALL© jackpot starts at $20 million and increases each time nobody claims the top prize. These progressive jackpots grow thanks to ticket sales across 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
Due to the scale of the game, the prize pools can reach significant amounts before someone matches all six numbers. To win the jackpot, you’ll need to match all five white ball numbers (between one and 69) as well as the red POWERBALL© number (between one and 26).
Winners have two payout options:
- Annuity: Receive payments over 29 years in 30 gradually increasing installments
- Cash option: Take a one-time lump sum payment immediately
How to play POWERBALL©
Playing POWERBALL© can be fairly straightforward. Once you’ve logged into your West Virginia Lottery account or purchased your ticket locally, you can pick your five numbers between one and 69 and one POWERBALL© number between one and 26.
Drawings occur three times weekly, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights, providing regular opportunities for you to try your chances.
Plus, if you can’t decide on what numbers to pick, the Quick Pick option generates random selections on your behalf. For online players, you can save your favorite combinations or even set up automatic entries for multiple drawings.
Power Play: Prize multiplier option
If you want to try and enhance potential non-jackpot prizes, Power Play offers this as an additional feature for an extra cost. This optional add-on applies a multiplier—typically 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or sometimes 10X—to all non-jackpot prizes.
For example:
- A $50,000 prize for matching four white balls plus the POWERBALL© could increase to $100,000 with a 2X multiplier
- Matching all five white balls without the POWERBALL© would result in a $1 million prize that doubles to $2 million with Power Play
The 10X multiplier appears only when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less. Each draw reveals which multiplier applies to that night’s non-jackpot winners.
Multi-draw feature
If you want to try your chances and play POWERBALL© more regularly, the multi-draw feature allows you to purchase tickets for several upcoming drawings simultaneously.
The multi-draw feature is available to both online and land-based players, but online players also benefit from additional features:
- Automatic ticket storage in your secure account
- Notifications when numbers are drawn and if you’ve won
- Direct credit of smaller prizes to your online account, with guidance for claiming larger prizes
A well-established draw game
POWERBALL© maintains its popularity in West Virginia due to its substantial prizes, accessible gameplay, and flexible participation options. With scheduled drawings, transparent rules, and optional features like Power Play, the game provides a regulated way to participate in a nationally recognized draw game.