It's going to cost more to play Powerball — the new price of a single ticket will be $2 per play, a Powerball PowerPlay ticket will now cost $3. But odds of winning will also improve, say Idaho Lottery officials.
The Powerball changes will begin immediately after the $66 million draw closes on Saturday at 7:55 p.m. Mountain Time.
The Idaho Lottery will suspend sales on Powerball for approximately eight hours while the transition to the upgraded version of Powerball occurs. But Powerball sales will resume by 4 a.m. Mountain Time on Sunday. New ticket prices will be in effect at that time.
“For many years, players have been asking for more million dollar winning experiences while maintaining the ability to continue to play for large, multi-million dollar jackpots,” said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. “Starting this Sunday, we’ll set out on a course to do just that, create more millionaires in Idaho. If these changes had been in place over the past two years, the Idaho Lottery would have created seven more millionaires.”
Ten advance draw tickets for Powerball have been unavailable since Dec. 15, as the Idaho Lottery began preparing for the transition. Beginning Sunday morning, players will once again be able to purchase Powerball for ten advance draws.
The most significant prize upgrade will occur when players match only the first five numbers and not the Powerball itself. This “Match 5” prize level is currently $200,000, but beginning with the first draw on Jan. 18, that prize will become an automatic $1,000,000. Players who select the PowerPlay option will win $2,000,000 for a “Match 5” prize.
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