How to play Powerball in West Virginia

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Powerball is a Lottery game that features massive jackpots, often reaching into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Playing Powerball in West Virginia is simple, and drawings happen three times a week. Let’s walk through the steps to play the Lottery Powerball jackpot in West Virginia!

1. Understanding Powerball basics

Powerball is a multi-state Lottery game that has become one of the most popular lotteries in the U.S. The draw occurs every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11:00 PM ET, and the payout pools grow after each draw where no one lands the jackpot with a starting figure of $20 million.

To win the jackpot, you need to match all five numbers and the Powerball number. Aside from the jackpot, Powerball offers eight other payout levels.

2. How to play Powerball

• Pick your numbers: You’ll select five numbers from 1 to 69 and then choose a Powerball number from 1 to 26. If you don’t want to select numbers yourself, you can opt for a Quick Pick, where the system will randomly generate your numbers for you.
• Ticket cost: A basic Powerball ticket costs $2 per play. For an extra $1, you can add the Power Play option, which increases non-jackpot payouts by up to 10 times, depending on the Power Play multiplier drawn.

3. The Power Play option

A side feature of Powerball is the Power Play option. For just an extra $1, you can multiply any non-jackpot payout by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or even 10x, depending on the multiplier drawn. However, the 10x multiplier is only available when the jackpot is $150 million or less. If you match five white balls but not the Powerball, the Power Play automatically increases the payout to $2 million, regardless of the multiplier drawn.

4. Where to buy your Powerball ticket

In West Virginia, you can buy Powerball tickets at any authorized West Virginia Lottery retailer. Tickets are available until 9:59 p.m. ET on the day of the draw. You can also check if your numbers were drawn by visiting the West Virginia Lottery’s official website or watching the live draw at 11:00 p.m. ET.

5. Understanding the payout tiers

While hitting the jackpot requires matching all five numbers plus the Powerball, there are other ways to win. Powerball offers a total of nine payout tiers, so even if you don’t match all the numbers, you could still receive a payout. Here’s a breakdown of the tiers:

• Match 5 + Powerball: Jackpot
• Match 5 (no Powerball): $1,000,000 (or $2,000,000 with Power Play)
• Match 4 + Powerball: $50,000
• Match 4 (no Powerball): $100
• Match 3 + Powerball: $100
• Match 3 (no Powerball): $7
• Match 2 + Powerball: $7
• Match 1 + Powerball: $4
• Match Powerball only: $4

Each Powerball drawing offers nine different ways to win, so you have multiple chances to potentially land a payout.

6. Claiming your Powerball winnings

If you’re a winner, the process for claiming your payout depends on the size of your winnings. Smaller figures can be claimed directly from Lottery retailers or deposited into your West Virginia Lottery iLottery account if you played online. Larger amounts of over $600 may require you to visit a West Virginia Lottery office in person to claim your payout.