---
title: What Are the Chances of Winning the Powerball?
description: Thanks to a 2015 rule change, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are slimmer than ever
authors:
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    url: https://money.com/author/sarah-begley/
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published: '2017-08-23T14:21:51.000Z'
modified: '2024-04-17T06:38:57.000Z'
section: Lifestyle
tags:
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word_count: 132
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![Powerball Jackpot Expected To Reach A Whopping Record-Breaking 1.5 Billion Dollars](https://img.money.com/2017/08/powerball.jpeg)
*A customer buys Powerball tickets at Kavanagh Liquors on January 13, 2016 in San Lorenzo, California.*

People have been snapping up [Powerball](https://money.com/most-common-powerball-numbers/) tickets around the country in hopes of winning the second-biggest [jackpot](https://money.com/powerball-taxes-state/) of all time: $700 million. But the odds of winning Wednesday night's drawing are remote — about one in 292 million.

Until a rule change in 2015, the odds were more favorable at one in 175 million.

The difference is that the total number of balls to pick from increased from 59 to 69, with players picking five, the [Washington *Post* reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/22/how-powerball-manipulated-the-odds-to-make-another-massive-jackpot/?utm_term=.e03c7309de73). The new odds are roughly akin to one person being randomly selected among the entire U.S. population of 323 million.

Still, for many, the long odds are worth the $2 risk — and if no one wins Wednesday night's drawing, the [jackpot](https://money.com/powerball-jackpot-lottery-winner-neighbors-bankrupt/) will likely swell above the previous record of $1.6 billion.

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