Independent lottery statistics
The maths behind the two biggest lotteries in the United States.
Every drawing since each game's current ball matrix began — 920 Mega Millions and 1,392 Powerball results — analysed ball by ball. The odds tables on this site reproduce the official prize charts. The guides explain what those numbers actually mean, including why past drawings cannot predict the next one.
Read the guides Browse past winning numbers FAQ
All drawing dates and times on this site are US Eastern Time (ET). This site does not sell tickets.
Start with the evidence
Three of the questions people actually ask: how the two games compare, why “due” numbers are a fallacy, and what the April 2025 Mega Millions overhaul changed.
Mega Millions vs Powerball: the odds compared, tier by tier
Both jackpots are advertised in the hundreds of millions and both are almost impossibly unlikely — but the two games are not equally hard, and the smaller tiers differ a lot.
Read the guide ProbabilityThe law of independent trials: why past numbers can't predict the next drawing
A ball that has not appeared in 40 drawings is not "due". Here is what independence actually means, and what the full drawing record says when you test it properly.
Read the guide HistoryWhat the 2025 Mega Millions overhaul actually changed
The ticket went from $2 to $5, the Mega Ball pool shrank by one, Megaplier disappeared, and every non-jackpot prize now carries a built-in 2X–10X multiplier. Here is the arithmetic.
Read the guideThe two games side by side
Both jackpots are advertised in the hundreds of millions, and both are about equally unlikely. The differences are in ticket price, how often the smaller tiers pay, and how many drawings there are each week.
| Mega Millions | Powerball | |
|---|---|---|
| Ball matrix | 5 of 70 + 1 of 24 | 5 of 69 + 1 of 26 |
| Ticket price | $5 | $2 |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 290,472,336 | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| Odds of any prize | 1 in 23.07 | 1 in 24.87 |
| Drawings | Tuesdays & Fridays 11:00 p.m. ET | Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays 10:59 p.m. ET |
| Current matrix since | October 31, 2017 | October 7, 2015 |
| Fixed-prize return per ticket | 7.5% of the ticket price before the built-in 2X–10X multiplier | 16.0% of the ticket price before the optional Power Play |
Latest winning numbers
Official results from the New York State open-data feed. Dates are the ET drawing dates. Always confirm a ticket with your state lottery before you claim. Full archive by year →
Mega Millions
MB = Mega Ball · last 8 drawings
Powerball
PB = Powerball · last 8 drawings
Guides & analysis
Plain-English explanations of the probability, the prize structures, the tax arithmetic and the history of rule changes — every figure computed from published rules and the drawing record, not copied from a listicle.
Mega Millions vs Powerball: the odds compared, tier by tier
Both jackpots are advertised in the hundreds of millions and both are almost impossibly unlikely — but the two games are not equally hard, and the smaller tiers differ a lot.
Read the guide ProbabilityThe law of independent trials: why past numbers can't predict the next drawing
A ball that has not appeared in 40 drawings is not "due". Here is what independence actually means, and what the full drawing record says when you test it properly.
Read the guide DataAre hot and cold numbers real? Testing the full drawing record
Every lottery site publishes a hot-numbers table. We ran the two tests that decide whether those tables contain any information at all.
Read the guide DataWhat real winning combinations look like: sums, splits and consecutive numbers
Winning tickets are not evenly spread across the play slip. The pattern is entirely a consequence of counting — and it matters for one reason only, which is not the one usually claimed.
Read the guide AnalysisWhen is a lottery ticket "worth" it? The expected-value math
There is a jackpot size at which a ticket's expected value passes its price. It is much higher than most people assume, and reaching it still does not make the bet a good one.
Read the guide MoneyRecord jackpots and the tax math winners actually face
The advertised jackpot, the cash value and the amount that reaches a bank account are three very different numbers. Here is the gap, with the record board that produced them.
Read the guide HistoryHow the 2015 Powerball rule change reshaped the odds
Ten white balls added, nine red balls removed. The jackpot became two-thirds harder to win, small prizes became easier, and the first billion-dollar jackpot followed within months.
Read the guide HistoryWhat the 2025 Mega Millions overhaul actually changed
The ticket went from $2 to $5, the Mega Ball pool shrank by one, Megaplier disappeared, and every non-jackpot prize now carries a built-in 2X–10X multiplier. Here is the arithmetic.
Read the guide Math primerHow to calculate lottery odds yourself
Two formulas cover every jackpot game ever sold. Once you can reproduce the official prize chart, no lottery claim can surprise you again.
Read the guideReference
How the numbers on this site are produced, what the jargon means, and answers to the questions that come up every drawing night.
Frequently asked questions
Odds, taxes, independence, and what this site will and will not do.
Read the FAQ GlossaryLottery terms, defined
Annuity, cash option, matrix, Power Play, Megaplier and the rest of the jargon.
Open the glossary MethodsHow the figures are computed
Data sources, era boundaries, the chi-square test, and how to send a correction.
Read the methodologyDrawing data, on the dashboard
Frequencies, dry spells, sum charts and an optional number generator that samples from that history. The generator is for exploring the data. It does not improve your odds.
Mega Millions
5 of 70 + 1 of 24 · $5 per play
- Next drawing
- see below
- Schedule
- Tuesdays & Fridays, 11:00 p.m. ET
- Jackpot odds
- 1 in 290,472,336
- Any prize
- 1 in 23.07
- History analysed
- 920 drawings since October 31, 2017
Powerball
5 of 69 + 1 of 26 · $2 per play
- Next drawing
- see below
- Schedule
- Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays, 10:59 p.m. ET
- Jackpot odds
- 1 in 292,201,338
- Any prize
- 1 in 24.87
- History analysed
- 1,392 drawings since October 7, 2015
A note before you play anything
The numbers this site produces are reference figures for entertainment purposes only, based on historical statistics and a random sampling algorithm. Every lottery drawing is a perfectly independent event, so nothing here guarantees or improves a win. Please do not buy lottery tickets excessively.
Nothing on this site is financial advice, and no statistical method can shift the odds printed above. If you play, treat the ticket price as the cost of the entertainment and nothing more. Read our responsible play page →