The six games side by side
Ordered from the easiest jackpot to the hardest. "Chance per number" is the probability that any particular main number is drawn in one draw — it is why frequency tables look so different from game to game.
| Game | Main numbers | Second pool | Jackpot odds | Chance per number | Draws a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Lotto | 6 of 1–59 | 1 Bonus Ball from the same machine, after the main six | 1 in 45,057,474 | 10.17% | 2 |
| EuroMillions | 5 of 1–50 | 2 Lucky Stars from a separate 1–12 machine | 1 in 139,838,160 | 10.00% | 2 |
| EuroJackpot | 5 of 1–50 | 2 Euro Numbers from a separate 1–12 machine | 1 in 139,838,160 | 10.00% | 2 |
| Mega Millions | 5 of 1–70 | 1 gold Mega Ball from a separate 1–24 drum | 1 in 290,472,336 | 7.14% | 2 |
| Powerball | 5 of 1–69 | 1 red ball from a separate 1–26 drum | 1 in 292,201,338 | 7.25% | 3 |
| SuperEnalotto | 6 of 1–90 | Jolly (7th ball, same machine) and optional SuperStar (separate 1–90 draw) | 1 in 622,614,630 | 6.67% | 4 |
How jackpot odds are calculated
A jackpot needs every number that is part of the jackpot combination. The odds are the number of different combinations a ticket could hold, which is the number of ways to choose the main numbers — C(n, k), "n choose k" — multiplied by the ways to choose any second pool that counts towards the jackpot:
- UK Lotto: C(59, 6) = 45,057,474. The Bonus Ball is not part of the jackpot, so nothing is multiplied in.
- EuroMillions and EuroJackpot: C(50, 5) × C(12, 2) = 2,118,760 × 66 = 139,838,160. Since March 2022 the two games use exactly the same matrix, so their jackpot odds are identical.
- Mega Millions: C(70, 5) × 24 = 12,103,014 × 24 = 290,472,336.
- Powerball: C(69, 5) × 26 = 11,238,513 × 26 = 292,201,338.
- SuperEnalotto: C(90, 6) = 622,614,630. One pool, but a very large one — the Jolly and SuperStar do not enter into the jackpot.
Lower prize tiers have much shorter odds, and every operator publishes its own table; we do not reproduce them here because they change with the game rules.
Four different ideas of a "bonus ball"
The phrase covers mechanics that have little in common, which matters both for checking a ticket and for reading statistics:
- UK Lotto: 1 Bonus Ball from the same machine, after the main six. Not part of the jackpot; only decides the 5 + Bonus prize.
- EuroMillions: 2 Lucky Stars from a separate 1–12 machine. Both are part of the jackpot; many lower prizes need one star or none.
- EuroJackpot: 2 Euro Numbers from a separate 1–12 machine. Both are part of the jackpot.
- Mega Millions: 1 gold Mega Ball from a separate 1–24 drum. Part of the jackpot; matching it alone wins the lowest prize.
- Powerball: 1 red ball from a separate 1–26 drum. Part of the jackpot; matching it alone wins the lowest prize.
- SuperEnalotto: Jolly (7th ball, same machine) and optional SuperStar (separate 1–90 draw). Neither is part of the jackpot: the Jolly decides the 5 + 1 prize, the SuperStar has its own prize table.
A bonus ball drawn from the same machine (UK Lotto's Bonus Ball, SuperEnalotto's Jolly) can never repeat a main number of the same draw; one from a separate drum (Powerball, Mega Ball, Lucky Stars, Euro Numbers, SuperStar) can. That is why this site always counts bonus pools in their own tables.
Putting the odds in perspective
One way to make odds this long concrete: if you played a single line in every draw, how long would you expect to wait for a jackpot? Divide the odds by the number of draws a year.
- UK Lotto: about 431,750 years at 2 draws a week.
- EuroMillions: about 1,339,959 years at 2 draws a week.
- EuroJackpot: about 1,339,959 years at 2 draws a week.
- Mega Millions: about 2,783,368 years at 2 draws a week.
- Powerball: about 1,866,624 years at 3 draws a week.
- SuperEnalotto: about 2,983,014 years at 4 draws a week.
That is an average, not a schedule — someone can win on their first ticket, and most players never will. Buying more lines shortens the wait in proportion, and raises the cost in exactly the same proportion. The figures are a reason to treat any lottery as entertainment with a fixed budget, as the Responsible Play page suggests.
What is in our archive for each game
Draw schedules and archive sizes also differ, which affects how quickly each game's statistics settle:
- UK Lotto: Wednesday and Saturday evenings, UK time — 1,161 draws on record.
- EuroMillions: Tuesday and Friday evenings, Paris time — 1,125 draws on record.
- EuroJackpot: Tuesday and Friday evenings, Central European Time — 800 draws on record.
- Mega Millions: Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time — 1,125 draws on record.
- Powerball: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time — 1,387 draws on record.
- SuperEnalotto: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Italian time — 1,839 draws on record.
How the data is collected and checked is on the methodology page; whether the draws behave randomly is tested in Are lottery draws random?