Lottery Odds Calculator
Every lottery advertisement quotes the jackpot; none quotes what the ticket is mathematically worth. This calculator does: pick a game and a jackpot, and it computes the exact jackpot odds from the combinatorics (Powerball's 1 in 292,201,338 is not a marketing number - it is 69-choose-5 times 26), the expected value per $2 ticket, and the jackpot at which the ticket would stop being a guaranteed loss.
That break-even number is the punchline: with only jackpot dollars counted, Powerball's ticket price is not covered until the jackpot reaches roughly $584 million - and taxes, the lump-sum discount and shared jackpots push the true bar far higher. The note under the result keeps score honestly, which is exactly what makes this a better answer than a bare odds table.
How to use
- Pick a game - or choose Custom and enter your local lottery's number format.
- Enter the current jackpot; odds and per-ticket EV update instantly.
- Read the break-even jackpot - the headline number your ticket is actually competing against.
Frequently asked questions
How are the jackpot odds computed?
Combinatorics, live: the chance of matching 5 main numbers from 69 is 69-choose-5 = 11,238,513, multiplied by 26 bonus balls = 292,201,338. Mega Millions and EuroMillions use their own pools, and EuroMillions draws two lucky stars, so its bonus term is 12-choose-2 = 66. Custom mode runs the same formula on your numbers.
What is expected value per ticket?
Jackpot ÷ odds - the average the jackpot line alone pays per ticket. A $500M Powerball jackpot pays about $1.71 per $2 ticket from the top prize; smaller tiers add roughly $0.20-0.35 more. Until the jackpot crosses the break-even, every ticket is mathematically underwater before a ball is drawn.
Why is the real break-even even higher?
Three haircuts: federal (and state) taxes take roughly half, the advertised jackpot is an annuity whose lump-sum option is about 60% of the headline, and jackpots that big are commonly split. The calculator shows the no-haircut bar because it is the honest floor - reality is meaningfully worse.
Doesn't buying more tickets improve my odds?
Linearly and uselessly: 2 tickets halve the odds to 1 in 146 million - a rounding error on a number that size. The only strategy the math rewards is picking unpopular numbers to avoid splitting a won jackpot, and even that cannot push expected value positive at normal jackpots.