Odds, worked out Updated 18 Oct 2026
Lotto winning odds
Lottery odds are fixed by the game's matrix: how many numbers you pick and how many balls they come from. For the big jackpot games they are long. A Powerball line has a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of the jackpot, and a EuroMillions line 1 in 139,838,160.
Nothing about how you choose numbers changes those odds. Every line has the same chance, and past draws have no effect on the next. Two things do change your chance: how many different lines you hold, and which lottery you play. This page compares the lotteries and shows the arithmetic for adding lines.
Better odds do not make a lottery a good bet. Every lottery pays out less in prizes than it takes in sales, so the expected return on a ticket is below its price whichever game you choose.
- Odds are set by the number matrix, not by the numbers you choose
- Each extra different line adds the same chance and the same cost
- Smaller matrices give better odds and usually smaller jackpots
Powerball odds as you add lines
How the Powerball jackpot odds move as you add different lines to one draw.
At 1 in 292,201,338, a Powerball line is about 21 times less likely to win the jackpot than a Lotto 6/49 line at 1 in 13,983,816.
Buying 21 Powerball lines brings you to roughly the odds of one Lotto 6/49 line, at 21 times the cost. Switching games changes the odds per ticket; buying more tickets changes only the total you hold.
- 1 line 1 in 292,201,338
- 10 lines 1 in 29,220,134
- 50 lines 1 in 5,844,027
- 100 lines 1 in 2,922,013
- 500 lines 1 in 584,403
| Lines | Group odds of the jackpot | Against one line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 line | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1× as likely |
| 10 lines | 1 in 29,220,134 | 10× as likely |
| 50 lines | 1 in 5,844,027 | 50× as likely |
| 100 lines | 1 in 2,922,013 | 100× as likely |
| 500 lines | 1 in 584,403 | 500× as likely |
One Powerball line has jackpot odds of 1 in 292,201,338. Different lines add their chances; a shared prize is split by share.
How lottery odds are worked out
Count the lines
Odds are the number of different lines the game allows. Order does not matter, so a 6 from 49 game such as Lotto 6/49 has 13,983,816 possible lines and exactly one of them wins the jackpot.
Bonus pools multiply
A separate bonus pool multiplies the count. In Powerball, 1 Powerball from 26 multiplies the 11,238,513 ways to pick 5 main numbers from 69 into 292,201,338 lines.
More lines, proportional gain
Ten different lines are ten times as likely to win as one, and cost ten times as much. The odds per line do not change.
Odds are not value
Better odds make a jackpot less remote. They do not make the ticket a good bet, because prizes paid out are less than sales taken in.
Jackpot odds for one line, big lotteries compared
Odds of a single line winning the top prize, from the longest to the shortest.
-
1 line
SuperEnalotto
Pick 6 numbers from 90. Jackpot odds are 1 in 622,614,630.
-
1 line
Powerball
Pick 5 numbers from 69 and 1 Powerball from 26. Jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338.
-
1 line
Mega Millions
Pick 5 numbers from 70 and 1 Mega Ball from 24. Jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336.
-
1 line
EuroMillions
Pick 5 numbers from 50 and 2 Lucky Stars from 12. Jackpot odds are 1 in 139,838,160.
-
1 line
EuroJackpot
Pick 5 numbers from 50 and 2 Euro numbers from 12. Jackpot odds are 1 in 139,838,160.
-
1 line
German Lotto
Pick 6 numbers from 49; the jackpot also needs the Superzahl, 1 of 10 digits. Jackpot odds are 1 in 139,838,160.
-
1 line
Lotto 6/49
Pick 6 numbers from 49. Jackpot odds are 1 in 13,983,816.
-
1 line
Sweden Lotto
Pick 7 numbers from 35. Jackpot odds are 1 in 6,724,520.
Lottery odds: questions
What are the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?
A single line has a 1 in 292,201,338 chance. You pick 5 numbers from 69 and 1 Powerball from 26. More on the game on our Powerball page.
Which lottery has the best jackpot odds?
Of the big draws compared here, Lotto 6/49 has the best jackpot odds per line at 1 in 13,983,816, and Sweden Lotto shorter still at 1 in 6,724,520. Games with smaller matrices usually have smaller jackpots too.
Which lottery is the hardest to win?
SuperEnalotto has the longest jackpot odds in our comparison, 1 in 622,614,630 for one line, because you must match 6 numbers from 90.
Can I improve my odds by choosing certain numbers?
No. Every combination has the same chance in every draw, and past results do not affect the next one. Hot and cold numbers, patterns and predictor apps leave the odds where they are. See our hot and cold numbers guide.
Does buying more tickets help?
More different lines raise your chance in direct proportion, and raise your cost by the same amount. A syndicate does the same for a group and splits any prize between members.
Are the odds the same online and in a shop?
Yes. A line bought through a lottery site is entered into, or mirrors, the same draw with the same matrix, so the odds per line do not change.
Set the spend before you pick the numbers.
Most lottery lines win nothing. Decide a monthly amount you can lose, and use the deposit limits on the site you play at.