Powerball was born in 1992 from an older multi-state game, Lotto America, and was the first lottery to draw its numbers from two machines. It started in 15 lotteries; today it's sold by all 48 U.S. lotteries and, since 2026, in the United Kingdom. This is how it got there.
Before Powerball: Lotto America
In 1988, a group of state lotteries launched Lotto America, a game they sold together so they could offer bigger jackpots than any one of them could alone. The lotteries ran it through the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), the nonprofit group that still runs Powerball today on behalf of its members.
In April 1992, Lotto America was replaced by a new game with a new name and a new idea.
1992: the first drawing
The first Powerball drawing was held on April 22, 1992, in 15 lotteries. Players picked 5 numbers from 45 and 1 Powerball, also from 45, and a play cost $1.
Its big innovation was the second machine. Drawing the Powerball from a separate drum of red balls made the jackpot much harder to hit, so it rolled over more often and grew bigger, while the Powerball alone still paid a small prize. Mega Millions and other multi-state games use the same two-part format today.
From 15 lotteries to 48
Powerball grew one lottery at a time. Some of the milestones:
- 2002: the U.S. Virgin Islands joined.
- 2010: from January 31, lotteries could sell both Powerball and Mega Millions, which until then had been sold in different states. Many added the other game straight away.
- 2013: California joined in April.
- 2014: Puerto Rico joined.
- 2020: Mississippi started selling Powerball in January, becoming the 45th state.
Today every U.S. lottery sells Powerball: 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The five states without it are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Where the drawings have been held
Until 2008, Powerball was drawn in Iowa. In 2009, when Florida joined, the drawings moved to Universal Studios in Orlando, and in January 2012 to the Florida Lottery's draw studio in Tallahassee, where they're still held. How a drawing works today is in Powerball drawing time and place.
Bigger and bigger jackpots
Over the years the game was redesigned several times, each time with more white balls and fewer odds of hitting the jackpot, so that prizes would build up faster. Power Play arrived in 2001, the price went up to $2 in 2012, and in October 2015 the game took its current shape: 5 numbers from 69 and a Powerball from 26. All the changes are in Powerball changes over the years.
The 2015 redesign had an almost immediate effect. In January 2016, the jackpot reached $1.586 billion, the first lottery jackpot ever to top $1 billion, shared by tickets from California, Florida and Tennessee. In November 2022, a single ticket from Altadena, California, won $2.04 billion, still the biggest lottery jackpot in history. The full list is in the biggest Powerball jackpots.
2021: three drawings a week
In August 2021, Powerball added a Monday drawing to Wednesday and Saturday, and launched Double Play, a second drawing for the same numbers, in some states. Both are explained in Power Play and Double Play.
2026: Powerball crosses the Atlantic
On July 21, 2026, Powerball went on sale in the United Kingdom through the National Lottery, the first time a lottery outside the U.S. has contributed to the jackpot. The first shared drawing was on July 22. UK players have their own lower-tier prizes; the jackpot is the one thing U.S. and UK players share.
For U.S. players nothing changed: the $2 price, the odds, the set prizes and the drawing nights are the same. Three weeks later, on August 12, 2026, a ticket from Quincy, Illinois, won a $1.04 billion jackpot.
Powerball at a glance
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Lotto America, Powerball's predecessor, launches |
| 1992 | First Powerball drawing (April 22), in 15 lotteries |
| 2001 | Power Play is introduced |
| 2002 | The U.S. Virgin Islands join |
| 2009 | Drawings move to Orlando; starting jackpot rises to $20 million |
| 2010 | Lotteries can sell both Powerball and Mega Millions |
| 2012 | Price goes to $2; drawings move to Tallahassee |
| 2013 | California joins |
| 2014 | Puerto Rico joins |
| 2015 | Current format: 5 of 69 + 1 of 26, and the 10X Power Play |
| 2016 | First jackpot over $1 billion ($1.586 billion) |
| 2020 | Mississippi joins; starting jackpot set at $20 million |
| 2021 | Monday drawings and Double Play |
| 2022 | Record $2.04 billion jackpot |
| 2026 | Powerball launches in the United Kingdom |
Frequently asked questions
When did Powerball start?
The first Powerball drawing was on April 22, 1992. It replaced Lotto America, a multi-state game that had been running since 1988.
Who runs Powerball?
The lotteries that sell it, through the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Each lottery sells its own tickets and pays its own winners; the drawing is hosted by the Florida Lottery in Tallahassee.
How many states play Powerball?
45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: 48 lotteries in all. Since July 2026 it's also sold in the United Kingdom.
Why is it called Powerball?
After its signature feature: the red Powerball, drawn from a second machine, separate from the white balls. Powerball was the first lottery game to use two machines.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.