Powerball number changes began on November 5th, 1997. Players needed only to pick five main numbers from 1 to 49 and a Powerball from 1 to 42. The minimum jackpot was $10 million.
Power Play feature came into effect on March 7th, 2001. This helped players to multiply the value of non-jackpot prizes.
The game changed yet again the following year. This time the number of main balls raised to 53 on October 9th, 2002.
Another tweak on August 31st, 2005 saw the number of main balls increased to 55 and the starting jackpot move up to $15 million.
The Powerball remained a choice of 42 numbers until January 7th, 2009, when the matrix changed again and players were required to select five main balls from a choice of 59 and a Powerball from a pool of 39 numbers. The minimum jackpot was increased to $20 million.
Evolution of Powerball
There have been a number of notable changes to Powerball over the years. In 2001, Power Play was introduced as an optional extra that allowed participants to increase the value of any non-jackpot prize. The new feature cost an additional $1.
In October 2015, a number of changes were made to the game, with the number of balls in the main pool increasing from 59 to 69, while there was a decrease in the number of Powerballs – from 35 to 26. This saw the jackpot become more difficult to win, but the chances of winning any prize significantly increased.
2010 Expansion
The number of participating lotteries had continued to increase slowly over the years, up to a total of 32 at the start of 2010. An agreement was then reached between the MUSL and the Mega Millions consortium to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball, allowing state lotteries to offer both games. Ten further lotteries – Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Ohio, and the U.S Virgin Islands – joined the Powerball family in 2010.
Further Changes
On January 4th, 2012, the minimum jackpot doubled to $40 million and further changes were made to the game. The number of main balls stayed at 59. But then the pool of Powerball numbers reduced to 35. As a result, the odds of winning the jackpot increased. Then, the Power Play feature ended before returning on 22nd January 2014.
The most recent changes to Powerball came on October 7th, 2015. The matrix required players to select five main numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball from 1 to 26. A 10x Power Play also come into effect, for draws when the jackpot reached $150 million or less.
Biggest Jackpot
The changes to the game and its enduring popularity have helped to make some massive jackpots. Powerball is responsible for offering the biggest lottery jackpot in the world. This came in January 2016, when three lucky ticket holders shared a record-breaking $1.58 billion. John and Lisa Munford of Tennessee, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith from Florida, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of California walked away with $528.8 million apiece.
Powerball also holds the record for gifting the largest single prize to a lottery winner. Mavis Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts, landed a colossal $758.7 million in August 2017 following a run of 20 rollovers.
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