5 Times Adding the $1 Multiplier to a Lottery Ticket Paid Off
5 Times Adding the $1 Multiplier to a Lottery Ticket Paid Off
Attention, lotto lovers. There are plenty of ways to win BIG without getting the top prize. Multipliers like the Megaplier for Mega Millions and Power Play for Powerball are low-risk ways to add some oomph to your potential winnings.
How does the multiplier work? For an extra $1 per game, you can add the multiplier to your ticket, which will multiply your prize amount—not including the grand prize—by up to 10 times, depending on the game. The “multiplier” number is announced along with the winning numbers after the drawing.
Adding the optional multiplier won’t boost your odds of winning, but it will boost your winning amount if you do. For Mega Millions, the possible multiplier numbers are 2X, 3X, 4X, and 5X. For Powerball, they are 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 10X. Other games with multipliers? Lotto America, Lotto Texas, and Pick-6 in New Jersey!
So, is adding the multiplier worth it? Take a look at these winner stories, and you be the judge.
1. When an Ohio player went from millionaire to MULTI-millionaire
An Ohio lottery player in January 2022 matched five of five regular numbers on their ticket, just missing the Mega Ball. That would usually be a $1 million prize, but this lucky player had opted to add the mega multiplier (called the “Megaplier”) to their ticket. A $1 million win turned into $3 million—and the rest is history.
Related: How to Split Lottery Winnings with Family or Co-Workers
2. Anytime the 10X(!) multiplier is drawn for Powerball
What is the Powerball multiplier? The Powerball multiplier is called Power Play, and it can increase your winnings up to 10 times!
The very special 10X multiplier is in play whenever the Powerball top prize is under $150 million. A recent winner in North Carolina played some fortune cookie numbers that came with his order of fried shrimp and rice. He matched four out of five regular numbers AND the Powerball for a $50,000 payday.
Thanks to ticking that Power Play box on his play slip, his prize jumped TEN times to $500,000.
3. When $50K turned into $150K in a New York minute
Jackpocket lottery app user Ferney in New York picked his own lottery numbers and matched five of six regular numbers plus the Powerball. The 3X Power Play turned a $50,000 win into a $150,000 windfall. That’s how the multiplier works.
The winner said, “The multiplier is what made the prize so big. That $1 made a $150,000 return. I always add the multiplier. Why not?”
4. When a lottery pool won a cool $5 million
In a lottery pool, a bigger win means everyone gets a bigger slice of the prize. A group of 20 co-workers at a medical supply company in Rhode Island joined forces for Mega Millions back in 2016. The “Billy Bunch Microgroup” purchased the Megaplier feature on their ticket, which ended up multiplying their $1,000,000 prize by five. With a $5,000,000 total prize, each member of the group was able to take home $250,000 to put toward retirement, a new car or a much-needed vacation.
5. When a woman accidentally bought the wrong ticket…but still became a millionaire
A Powerball winner in North Carolina missed the Wednesday night ticket cut-off by one minute, so her ticket went through for the Saturday drawing instead. Her lucky $3 Power Play ticket matched five out of five regular numbers to win $1 million in Saturday's drawing. Her prize was doubled to $2 million when the 2X multiplier was drawn. Happy accidents!
Related: These Are the "Luckiest" Powerball Numbers in 2024
Calculating the Multiplier
You won’t know how much your prize could be multiplied by. At least not until the drawing...
The multiplier number is pulled during or right before the lottery drawing. If you win a non-jackpot prize (and chose the multiplier add-on to your ticket) you will be able to use that number to determine what your new prize is!
Calculating the multiplier is pretty simple. You can easily know the potential prize for any Powerball Power Play multiplier or Mega Millions Megaplier by checking out our charts in our blog posts.
FAQs
When is the multiplier available?
For both the Powerball and Mega Millions, the multiplier is available with each drawing. For Powerball, the 10X multiplier ball is only added to the mix when the grand prize is below $150 million.
What are the biggest lottery multipliers out there?
Mega Millions (Megaplier), Powerball (Power Play) and Lotto America (All-Star Bonus) all have multipliers that could increase your prize by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times.
Powerball offers a 10X multiplier, but there are Powerball multiplier rules that govern when the 10X multiplier is available. This multiplier is only added to the potential multiplier drawing when the grand prize is below $150 million.
Other games with up to a 10x multiplier? Pick-6 in NJ and Lotto Texas both have multipliers that can go this high! How would you like to increase your non-jackpot winnings by a factor of 10?
How do I order lottery tickets online?
Getting your lottery ticket online with Jackpocket is easy. Choose your game, then pick your lucky numbers or go with a random Quick Pick. You can even add the multiplier to participating games! Enjoy your favorite state lottery games using Jackpocket!
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
