Powerball is an American lottery operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a consortium of lottery commissions in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. MUSL is licensed as the monopoly provider of multistate lotteries in these jurisdictions.

Powerball's predecessor began in 1988[2] as Lotto*America; the game, and name, were officially changed to Powerball on April 19, 1992. Powerball was the brainchild of Ed Stanek of the Iowa State Lottery Commission. The matrix has been changed periodically.

On March 4, 2001, an optional multiplier wheel (called "PowerPlay") was added. On November 2, 1997, the annuity period was changed from 20 to 25 years, and the cash option was added. The annuity currently consists of 30 graduated payments (increasing annually) over a period of 29 years.

Powerball is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The most recent announcement of a nine-figure Powerball jackpot winner ($100 million or higher annuity value) was for a ticket bought in Westover, West Virginia, at a video lottery establishment known as "Paula's", which was the sole winner of the March 15, 2008 drawing, and which was worth approximately $276.3 million (annuity value; the winner(s), who have yet to be officially identified, can choose the cash option of $136.34 million instead). Among notable nine-figure wins prior to this was on a ticket that was purchased in Richmond, Indiana; that community had also produced the then-U.S. record $295.7 million (annuity) winning ticket for Powerball (July 29, 1998.

The MUSL games Hot Lotto and even Wild Card 2 are played the same as Powerball, albeit with smaller jackpots, and in only some of the MUSL jurisdictions, although Hot Lotto is scattered in mostly northern states.

How to Play Powerball
Powerball is a lotto game which is a combined large jackpot game and a cash game. Every Wednesday and Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time, we draw five white balls out of a drum with 55 balls and one red ball out of a drum with 42 red balls.
Players win by matching one of the 9 Ways to Win. The jackpot (won by matching all five white balls in any order and the red PowerBall) is either an annuitized prize paid out over 29 years (30 payments) or a lump sum payment. If the winner chooses the annuity, the annual payment will be increased each year by the percentage set out in the Powerball game rules.
You no longer have to select the payment option at the time of purchase. The tax law has changed to give you up to 60 days until after you claim the prize to decide whether you want cash or the annuity option. The second prize (won by matching five white balls in any order) is $200,000 paid in cash. Any time you match the red PowerBall, you win. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are better than 1 in 37.
Power Play is a special feature that allows a winner to multiply the original prize amount. Powerball players can multiply their Powerball prizes by 2,3,4 or 5 times (does not include the jackpot). A player must choose the Power Play option when they buy their Powerball ticket, and then the ticket must match one of the non-jackpot prizes before the multiplier takes effect.

Powerball is played in 29 States, Washington D.C. and the US Virgin Islands. Play Powerball, It's America's Game!

1. $295.7 million July 1998
2. $294.8 million August 2001
3. $195 million May 1998
4. $111.2 million July 1993
5. $101.8 million March 1995
6. $101 million November 1994
7. $100 million* March 2000
8. $89.5 million December 1993
9. $89.3 million January 1996
10. $87.6 million June 1995

America's favorite lottery is played in 29 States, Washington D.C. and the US Virgin Islands.

SOURCE: NASPL

Lawmaker Expresses Dismay at Televised Powerball Drawing Being Moved from Des Moines to Florida
DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (July 21, 2008) – During the Legislature's Oversight Committee meeting on Monday Rep. Wayne Ford (D-Des Moines) expressed dismay that the televised Powerball drawing is being moved from West Des Moines to Florida when that state joins the 32-member consortium....................Subscribers

$84.9 Million Powerball Jackpot Won!
POWERBALL, Iowa, USA (July 3, 2008) -- One lucky ticket in Oklahoma matched all 6 numbers Wednesday evening and walked away with the $84.9 million jackpot. The holder of the winning ticket will now have to decide to either take the 29-year, 30-installment annuity, or take the one-time cash "lump sum" amount of $41,305,108.
The numbers drawn were 4, 33, 46, 48, 52 and the Powerball was 17. The Power Play multiplier was 5.
For more information on Powerball, please visit our website at www.powerball.com.
CONTACT: Doug Orr, Multi-State Lottery Association, 515-453-1404.

Powerball® Welcomes the Florida Lottery as Its Newest Partner
POWERBALL, Iowa (July 2, 2008) -- The Multi-State Lottery (MUSL) announced today that the Florida Lottery will become the 32nd lottery to add Powerball to its mix of lottery products...............Subscribers

Florida Lottery Joins Powerball®
Powerball Drawings Will Move To Florida In 2009
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, USA (July 2, 2008) – The Florida Lottery announced today that it will join the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and add Powerball® to its portfolio of games starting in January 2009.  Florida will become the 30th state to join the multi-state lottery game, which is currently offered in 29 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.............Subscribers

$34.1 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in Louisiana!
IOWA, USA (June 1, 2008) -- One lucky ticket in Louisiana matched all 6 numbers Saturday and walked away with the $34.1 million jackpot.................Subscribers

$35.3 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in South Carolina!
POWERBALL, Iowa (May 18, 2008) -- One lucky ticket in South Carolina matched all 6 numbers Saturday and walked away with the $35.3 million Powerball jackpot............Subscribers

$180.1 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in Minnesota!
POWERBALL, Iowa, USA (May 4, 2008) - One lucky ticket in Minnesota matched all 6 numbers Saturday and walked away with the $180.1 million Powerball jackpot. The holder of the winning ticket will now have to decide to either take the 29- year, 30-installment annuity, or the one time cash "lump sum" amount of $88,020,951.................Subscribers

Powerball® Promotion Will Multiply Prizes By 10; $200,000 Could Become $2 Million
ALBUQUERQUE April 2, 2007 – Powerball® players who purchase the PowerPlay® feature will have a chance to multiply their prizes by 10 during the  “PowerPlay®10X” promotion running in April.  A $200,000 second-prize winning ticket could multiply into $2 million...............................Subscribers

Multistate Lottery Game Sales Top $6.5 Million
RALEIGH, North Carolina, USA (June 6, 2006) - North Carolina is the newest player in the Powerball game and already it’s selling more tickets than in any other of the 28 states involved in the games...........................Subscribers

Brisk Powerball Sales Continue
RALEIGH, North Carolina (May 31, 2006) -- North Carolina sold more than $1 million in Powerball tickets in each of the first two days of sales, WWAY News Channel 3 reported lottery officials as saying. It also said that this figure far exceeds projections leading up to............................Subscribers

Court’s Powerball Ruling Could Have Broader Implications
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, USA (May 18, 2006) – Missouri Lottery officials are reportedly worried about the potential national implications of a court ruling that Missouri must pay out.............................Subscribers

Jury Clears Defendant of Lottery Deception
PENNSYLVANIA, USA (May 11, 2006) – A man has reported been acquitted of “unsworn falsification’ to authorities concerning a phony Powerball ticket....................Subscribers

All PowerPlay Matches Can Multiply Ten Times During March Promotion
MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania, USA (February 27, 2006) -- Powerball’s second prize will be worth up to $2 million under a special Powerball-with-PowerPlay promotion that begins..............................Subscribers

Syndicate Claim Record Powerball Jackpot
NEBRASKA, USA (February 22, 2006) -- A group of eight coworkers at the ConAgra Foods ham and corned beet plant in Lincoln, has claimed the record $365 million jackpot from the February 18 Powerball drawing.......................................Subscribers

They Seek Him Here, They Seek Him There ... $365M Powerball Winner Still Missing
LINCOLN, Nebraska, USA (February 21, 2006) -- They seek him here, they seek him there ... Nebraska Lottery officials have reportedly booked a hotel meeting room for a press conference announcing the holder of the record $365 million Powerball jackpot ticket sold in Lincoln. Now all they need is the winner...................................Subscribers

Powerball Proves a Bonanza for Federal Government, and It Doesn’t Even Buy a Ticket
DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (November 28, 2005) -- The federal government has reportedly netted at least $2.85 billion from the Multi-State Lottery Association’s (MUSL) games since the first Lotto America jackpot was awarded in 1988.............................Subscribers

Powerball States Cash in on Record Jackpot Run
NORTH DAKOTA, USA (October 22, 20050 -- No one in Iowa or Nebraska won the record $340 million Powerball jackpot this week, but governments in both states scored big............................Subscribers

America’s Game is New and Improved!
Powerball® jackpots Will Roll in Larger Increments and Match 5 Winners Could Win Up to $1 Million.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina, USA (August 3, 2005) -- Powerball® is getting an extreme make-over and players will reap the benefits! After the 11 p.m. drawing on Saturday, August 27, Powerball® players will have bigger prizes to win and additional draws to play.......................................Subscribers

Enhancements to Powerball Game Begin August 28; Step-Down of Advance-Play Feature Begins June 1, 2005
MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania (June 1, 2005) -- Sales for a new, enhanced version of the Powerball lottery game will begin on Sunday, August 28. The new game will feature the country’s largest opening jackpot, faster growing jackpots and bigger second-tier prizes..........................Read the full story at: Vol.31 No.10

Number Thirteen is Not Unlucky for Powerball Players
POWERBALL, IOWA, USA (May 12, 2005) -- Even though Friday the 13^th is right around the corner, Powerball® players don’t seem daunted by the longstanding superstition surrounding the number. In fact, the number 13 has always ................................Subscribers

Lucky Numbers' In Fortune Cookies Pay Out $19 Million
More Than 100 Players Will Share Powerball Prize
NEW YORK, USA (May 11, 2005) -- Powerball lottery officials suspected fraud: How could 110 players in the March 30 drawing get five of the six numbers right? That made them all second-prize winners, and considering the number of tickets sold in ..............................Subscribers

13th Anniversary for POWERBALL® Cause for Celebration
POWERBALL, Iowa (April 22, 2005) -- Today marks the 13th anniversary for POWERBALL®. While the number 13 has always been associated with bad luck, this year POWERBALL® has proven that 13 can be a lucky number with more winners than ever before...............................Subscribers

Powerball Changes to Meet Player Demands
POWERBALL, Iowa, USA (April 6, 2005) -- The 29 lotteries that operate America’s Game, Powerball, have voted to make changes to the nation’s first big jackpot game to meet players’ demands for larger and faster growing jackpots....................Read the full story at: Vol.31 No.2

Record Run of Powerball Winners Produces Sales Decline
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, USA (March 21, 2005) -- Powerball states reportedly sold $2.3 billion in tickets in fiscal 2003-04, but this figure is projected to decline to around $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion for the fiscal year that will end June 30..............................Subscribers

$26.4 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in Pennsylvania!
POWERBALL, Iowa (January 23, 2005) -- One lucky player in Pennsylvania matched all 6 numbers Saturday and walked away with the $26.4 million jackpot. The player will now have to decide if they want to take the 29-year, 30-installment annuity, or the one time cash ............................Subscribers