Lottery Odds Calculator
Enter the lottery's main number pool and picks, plus an optional bonus-ball pool, to calculate the jackpot odds. Defaults are set to Powerball's actual rules.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What are the actual odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?
1 in 292,201,338 - calculated from choosing 5 numbers correctly out of 69 (11,238,513 combinations), then multiplying by the 26 possible Powerball numbers, since you need to match that separately drawn number too.
How is the number of possible combinations calculated?
Using the combinations formula (n choose k) = n! / (k!(n−k)!), which counts how many ways you can choose k numbers from a pool of n where order doesn't matter - that's why lottery odds use combinations, not permutations.
Why does adding a bonus ball make the odds so much worse?
Because you multiply the main-pool combinations by the bonus pool size, since you need both the right main numbers AND the right bonus number - Powerball's main-pool-only odds are about 1 in 11.2 million, but requiring the correct Powerball number too (1 in 26) multiplies that to roughly 1 in 292 million.
Is 'odds for winning lottery,' 'what are chances of winning lotto,' and 'odds of winning the lottery' the same as this tool?
Yes - every one of these phrasings is asking for the same thing: the probability of matching a lottery jackpot's numbers, which this calculator computes from the pool size, picks, and bonus ball settings above.
What are the odds if there's no bonus ball at all?
Set the bonus pool field to 0 - the calculator will then compute odds using only the main-pool combinations (n choose k), skipping the bonus multiplier entirely.
How much do the odds change if the main pool grows by just a few numbers?
Substantially - combinations grow combinatorially, so raising a 5-number pick pool from 69 to 70 numbers increases the number of combinations by roughly 12%, making the jackpot noticeably harder to win.
Do smaller regional or scratch-off lotteries use the same odds formula?
Yes - any lottery based on picking a fixed number of balls from a pool (with an optional separate bonus number) uses the same combinations formula shown here, just with different pool sizes and pick counts.