Mega Millions draws five white balls from 1 to 70 plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 24. Powerball draws five white balls from 1 to 69 plus a red Powerball from 1 to 26. That one-ball difference at each end lands their jackpot odds within 0.6 percent of each other: 1 in 290,472,336 for Mega Millions, 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball.
So they are twins? Not quite. Through October 26, 2026, Powerball had drawn 1,425 times on its 1 to 69 pool, which began October 7, 2015. Through October 27, 2026, Mega Millions had drawn 939 times on its 1 to 70 pool, which began October 31, 2017, and only 163 of those since its Mega Ball pool shrank to 24 on April 8, 2025. Same family, very different paper trails.
How do the odds compare, tier by tier?
Both games have nine prize tiers, from matching the special ball alone up to the jackpot. Mega Millions has one more white ball (70 against 69), which makes the white balls slightly harder to match. It also has two fewer special balls (24 against 26), which makes the special ball slightly easier. The two pull in opposite directions, and that is why the jackpot odds nearly cancel out.
Worked out from the pool sizes alone, Mega Millions first and Powerball second:
- Jackpot (five white balls plus the special ball): 1 in 290,472,336 and 1 in 292,201,338.
- Five white balls without the special ball: 1 in 12,629,232 and 1 in 11,688,054.
- Four white balls plus the special ball: 1 in 893,761 and 1 in 913,129.
- The special ball alone: 1 in 35.17 and 1 in 38.32.
- Any prize tier at all: 1 in 23.07 and 1 in 24.87.
Which game draws more often?
Powerball, by half again. It has drawn three nights a week, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, since August 23, 2021. Mega Millions draws twice, on Tuesday and Friday. Over a year that is about 156 Powerball draws against 104 for Mega Millions.
A longer record makes a steadier frequency table. Powerball's white-ball counts from October 7, 2015 to October 26, 2026 run from 78 to 128 around a fair share of about 103. Mega Millions' counts from October 31, 2017 to October 27, 2026 run from 53 to 87 around a fair share of about 67. Both full tables are on the Powerball frequency and Mega Millions frequency pages.
Why does the Mega Ball's record look so uneven?
Because it is young. The Mega Ball pool went from 1 to 25 down to 1 to 24 with the April 8, 2025 drawing, so its current record holds 163 draws through October 27, 2026, a fair share of about 7 for each number. Across that short run, 12 has come up 13 times and 15 only twice. That looks dramatic, and it is exactly what a short record does.
The red Powerball has 1,425 draws on its 1 to 26 pool, from October 7, 2015 to October 26, 2026, a fair share of about 55. Its counts run from 40 (for 16) to 68 (for 14), roughly a quarter either side of the line. Short records swing; long ones settle. The Mega Ball's record simply has not had the time yet.
The two games at a glance
Everything above, in one place:
- Ball pools: Mega Millions 5 from 1 to 70 plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 24; Powerball 5 from 1 to 69 plus a Powerball from 1 to 26.
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 290,472,336 for Mega Millions, 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball.
- Odds of any prize tier: 1 in 23.07 for Mega Millions, 1 in 24.87 for Powerball.
- Draw nights: Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM Eastern for Mega Millions; Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM Eastern for Powerball.
- Multiplier: every Mega Millions line has carried its own built-in 2X to 10X multiplier since the April 8, 2025 drawing; Powerball's multiplier is Power Play.
- Current pools began: October 31, 2017 for the Mega Millions white balls, April 8, 2025 for the Mega Ball, and October 7, 2015 for both Powerball pools.
So how different are they, really?
On the jackpot, barely: 0.6 percent apart. On everything around it, quite a bit. Mega Millions has the bigger white pool and the smaller special pool, and Powerball draws half again as often, so its record grows faster. In both games every ball in the machine has the same chance as every other ball, every single draw.
Every figure here comes from the same draw history the Odds Engine lottery number analysis app reads. Now you can tell the two big games apart by more than the color of the last ball.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Mega Millions and Powerball?
- Mega Millions draws five white balls from 1 to 70 plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 24, on Tuesday and Friday nights. Powerball draws five white balls from 1 to 69 plus a red Powerball from 1 to 26, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. Their jackpot odds are within 0.6 percent of each other.
- Which has longer jackpot odds, Mega Millions or Powerball?
- Powerball, by a hair: 1 in 292,201,338 against 1 in 290,472,336 for Mega Millions, worked out from each game's ball pools as they have stood since the Mega Millions change of April 8, 2025. For any prize tier the figures are 1 in 24.87 for Powerball and 1 in 23.07 for Mega Millions.
- How many times has each game drawn on its current ball pool?
- Powerball drew 1,425 times on its 1 to 69 pool from October 7, 2015 through October 26, 2026. Mega Millions drew 939 times on its 1 to 70 pool from October 31, 2017 through October 27, 2026, 163 of them since its Mega Ball pool became 1 to 24 on April 8, 2025.