How to Play Powerball in New York
To play Powerball, you pick a total of six numbers, decide how many draws to enter and whether you want to add Power Play or not. It only takes a matter of seconds to buy a ticket. Find out exactly what you need to do below:
Drawings take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 PM. Ticket sales cut off around an hour earlier at 10:00 PM.
The first step is to find a New York Lottery retailer. There are thousands of places where you can play throughout the state, then you just need to fill out a playslip as follows:
Pick your numbers
There are two ways to select your numbers. If you’re happy with a random set, you can just ask the retailer for a Quick Pick or mark the QP box on your playslip. Alternatively, select five numbers between 1 and 69, plus one Powerball from 1 to 26 in the lower part of the play area. There are five play areas on a slip, so if you want to enter more than one set of numbers you can just move on to Play B, Play C, and so on.
Add Power Play
To add Power Play to your ticket, all you need to do is mark the ‘Y’ box on your playslip where it asks whether you would like to include this option. Power Play costs an extra $1 per play, and gives you a way to win bigger prizes. Go to the Power Play page to learn exactly how it works.
Multi-Draw options
You can enter your numbers into just the next drawing, or several in a row by using the 'Multi-Draw' section. Simply mark how many consecutive draws you want to play - 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 24 or 39.
Pay for your entries
Take your playslip to the retailer and pay for your entries. It costs $2 per play, plus $1 for Power Play. Once you receive your ticket, make sure to keep it somewhere safe until the draw has taken place and you have checked the winning numbers.
If you like to use the same numbers every time, you can also take up the option to ‘Play It Again’. This allows you to hand in an old ticket – as long as it is from the last 30 days – and you will receive an identical entry for the next draw.
Using a Lottery Courier
Another way to play is through a lottery courier such as Jackpot.com. This method allows you to choose your numbers over the internet without even leaving home, then the courier will go to a retailer on your behalf. A scanned photo of your ticket will be uploaded to your online account, and prizes will also be paid automatically. Go to the Lottery Courier page to find out more.
How to Win
To win the Powerball jackpot, you must match all the numbers. However, you can still win prizes for matching fewer numbers, even just for matching the Powerball. Go to the Odds and Prizes page to see all the different ways to win.