How to Play Powerball in Australia
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Most guides on how to play Powerball in Australia are quietly describing the American game, and the numbers they give you are wrong for every barrel, every draw night and every division. Here is how to play Powerball in Australia as it is actually run: 7 numbers from 35, one Powerball from 20, one draw a thursday, and nine divisions underneath.
The Standard Entry
A standard game asks for 7 main numbers between 1 and 35, and one Powerball between 1 and 20. The two barrels are independent, which has a practical consequence worth recognising: your Powerball is allowed to repeat one of your main numbers. Choosing 12 as a main number does not stop you choosing 12 as the Powerball, and a great many players assume otherwise.
When the draw runs, 7 winning numbers come out of the first barrel and one Powerball comes out of the second. Matching all eight is 7 winning numbers plus the Powerball, which is Division 1 at odds of 1 in 134,490,400. Matching 2 winning numbers plus the powerball is Division 9 at 1 in 65, and everything else falls between. Order never matters on the main numbers — they are compared as a set.
How Playing Powerball in Australia Differs From the American Game
If you have read an American guide, almost every number in your head is wrong. The differences are not cosmetic, and learning how to play Powerball in Australia mostly means unlearning the US version.
| Australia | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Main numbers to pick | 7 from 1–35 | 5 from 1–69 |
| Powerball range | 1–20 | 1–26 |
| Draws per week | 1 (Thursday) | 3 (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) |
| Prize structure | 9 divisions, amounts vary | 9 tiers, fixed amounts below the jackpot |
| Multiplier add-on | None in the standard game | Power Play and Double Play |
| Overall odds | 1 in 44 | 1 in 24.9 |
| Tax on the prize | Not included as income | Federal and state tax withheld |
The tax line is the one that changes the size of the cheque. An American jackpot loses 24% to mandatory federal withholding before a state takes its cut, and the top federal marginal rate is 37%. An Australian prize is paid in full. Our Australian Powerball tax page covers the ATO's treatment and the two genuine caveats, and the United States tax calculator shows what the same win would look like on the other side of the Pacific.
Where to Buy and Who Sells It
The Lott’s games can be purchased in all Australian states and territories excluding Western Australia. Behind that brand sit the state operators: Golden Casket in Queensland, NSW Lotteries in New South Wales and the ACT, Tatts in Victoria and Tasmania, Tatts NT in the Northern Territory and SA Lotteries in South Australia. Western Australia is different — it is served by Lotterywest, the only state-owned and operated lottery in Australia and a statutory authority supporting the WA community since 1933.
That structure matters when you claim, not when you play. Prizes can only be claimed from the state in which the ticket was purchased. An entry bought in Adelaide is an SA Lotteries entry and is claimed in South Australia. Registering as a player links your entries to a card or an account, which removes the risk of losing a paper docket, but an unregistered entry belongs to whoever is holding it.
Getting Your Entry In Before It Closes
Entries close before the draw, not at it. Across the lott jurisdictions (all states and territories except western australia) the published close is 7:30pm AEST on Thursday, covering all channels. The Lotterywest online platform in Western Australia closes earlier in its own clock, at 5:25pm AWST. Miss the cutoff and your entry is not void — it simply goes into the following Thursday draw, which is a problem only if you were expecting to be in tonight's.
Multi-week entries buy several consecutive draws at once and are the usual reason a docket sits in a drawer unchecked. Each of those draws is a separate result, so a four-week entry needs checking four times. Our Australian Powerball draw times page sets out the cutoffs by state and territory.
After the Draw
The draw runs at 6:30pm AWST and is televised on 7TWO at approximately 8:30pm AEST on the eastern seaboard, with results generally by 9:00pm AEST. In Western Australia it screens on Channel 7 or 7TWO at approximately 6:30pm AWST and streams on 7plus. Once you have the numbers, put them and your own line into our Australian ticket checker, which returns the division rather than making you count.
Playing Australian Powerball: the rules that matter
- Standard entry
- 7 numbers from 1–35 plus 1 Powerball from 1–20
- Numbers drawn
- 7 main numbers and 1 Powerball, from two separate barrels
- Powerball duplication
- Permitted — the Powerball may repeat one of your main numbers
- Draw
- Every Thursday at 6:30pm AWST
- Entry close (The Lott jurisdictions)
- 7:30pm AEST, all channels
- Entry close (Lotterywest online)
- 5:25pm AWST
- Divisions
- 9
- Overall odds
- 1 in 44 on one standard game
- Where to claim
- Only in the state where the entry was bought
Questions Australian Players Ask
How many numbers do you pick to play Powerball in Australia?
7 main numbers from 1 to 35, plus one Powerball from 1 to 20. That is eight selections on a standard entry, against six on the American game.
Can I play Australian Powerball with an American ticket?
No. They are separate games run by separate organisations with different barrels and different draws. A US Powerball ticket has no standing in an Australian draw, and an Australian entry has none in an American one.
When do entries close?
7:30pm AEST on Thursday across the lott jurisdictions (all states and territories except western australia), covering all channels. The Lotterywest online platform in Western Australia closes at 5:25pm AWST.
Where can I buy an entry?
The Lott’s games can be purchased in all Australian states and territories excluding Western Australia. Western Australia is served by Lotterywest instead. Whichever sold your entry is where you claim, because prizes can only be claimed from the state in which the ticket was purchased.
Is it worth playing more than one line?
Each line is assessed separately against the draw, so more lines mean more independent chances rather than better odds on any one of them. One standard game carries overall odds of about 1 in 44. Play only what you would be comfortable losing.