With several recent Powerball jackpots exceeding $1 billion, many people are purchasing lottery tickets for a chance at the fortune of a lifetime. But where can you buy a Powerball ticket?
Several merchants near you may sell tickets, including gas stations and grocery stores. So instead of wasting a trip to a non-participating retailer, we’ll show you where to buy Powerball tickets before the next big draw.
Table of Contents
- What Is Powerball?
- How to Play Powerball
- Who Can Buy Powerball Tickets?
- Where to Buy Powerball Tickets in Your State
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington, D.C.
- Washington State
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Summary
What Is Powerball?
Powerball is a national lottery program coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) that comprises the lottery boards for each participating state.
Currently, 45 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands participate in the Powerball lottery program.
The first Powerball game was held in 1992 when there were two weekly drawings, although the number calling frequency increased to three weekly games in 2021. The drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
You must purchase your ticket 59 minutes before the upcoming drawing time to be eligible for the current game.
Since 2015, the game has called six numbers instead of five. While it’s more challenging to win as the odds are now 1 in 292.2 million compared to 1 in 175 million with only five numbers, the jackpots are more enormous, and there are many smaller prizes of $2 million or less.
How to Play Powerball
Ticket buyers must match all six numbers to win the grand prize, although you can also win a few bucks by matching the red “Powerball,” which is the final number called. Other smaller rewards are available if you match several numbers.
You can select each number manually or choose randomly-drawn numbers when the lottery ticket vendor prints your ticket. The first five numbers are from 1 to 69, and the Powerball is from 1 to 26.
A basic Powerball ticket costs $2 and only requires you to pick six numbers.
Power Play
You can opt into the Power Play feature for an additional dollar ($3 total), where a bonus 7th number is called. This number will either be 2,3,4,5 or 10.
This number is the bonus multiplier on qualifying tickets.
If you match the Power Play and have a ticket with a partial match, you can win up to $10 million.
To win the maximum Power Play cash prize, your original numbers must win $1 million (all five whites but not the Powerball). Then, if the Power Play number is 10, you can receive $10 million instead.
Who Can Buy Powerball Tickets?
You must be 18 years or older to buy a Powerball ticket in most states. However, you must be at least 19 in Nebraska and 21 in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
It’s best to live in a participating U.S. state or territory to buy tickets. However, you can cross state lines if your state doesn’t participate. For example, Nevada residents go to Arizona or California.
Which States Don’t Have Powerball?
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a Powerball ticket in a handful of states:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Utah
If your state doesn’t sell Powerball tickets, you can have a friend or family member living in participating state purchase on your behalf. If you win, your lottery winnings are subject to income taxes for your home state (even if you can’t buy the ticket there).
Where to Buy Powerball Tickets in Your State
If your state participates in Powerball or Mega Millions, there are several places to buy tickets at local stores. Gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores are the most likely to sell Powerball tickets.
Many Walmart stores (and other retail brands) also have self-service vending machines to buy lottery tickets and scratchers.
Your state may also let you buy Powerball tickets online through these two platforms:
- Lotto.com (Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Texas only)
- Jackpocket (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C., and West Virginia).
Below is a state-by-state look at where to buy Powerball tickets near you.
Arizona
The Arizona Lottery lets you enter your street address to visit nearby locations. Albertson’s, Circle K, and CVS stores are the most prevalent options.
Arkansas
You can search for participating retailers and lottery vending machines at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
California
The CA Lottery lets you look for locations by city or a precise street address. In addition, several state lottery programs are available, and you can buy lottery tickets at liquor stores and wine shops, among the usual places.
Colorado
The Colorado Lottery website has a Powerball simulator that can estimate how much you win based on the numbers you match. This platform’s “Where to Play” section lets you filter results by location, store name, and if it has a vending machine.
Connecticut
The Connecticut Lottery lets you find lottery retailers by city, zip code, or retailer name. You can search for lottery vending machines too.
Delaware
It’s possible to search for drawing/instant games, sports, and keno through the Delaware Lottery. The platform offers print-friendly search results too.
Florida
As a fun fact, the Powerball live drawings occur in Tallahassee. The Florida Lottery lets you search for nearby retailers by zip code or city.
Additionally, you can buy $4 or $10 “Quick Tickets” at Winn-Dixie, Harvey’s, and Fresco Y Mas locations.
Georgia
Georgia Lottery lets you search for retailers by city or zip code. The “Buy Online Now” button allows you to purchase tickets inside the state.
Idaho
The Idaho Lottery lets you find retailers by city, zip code or by exploring the interactive map. Most retailers are gas stations and liquor stores.
Illinois
Buying Powerball tickets directly from the Illinois Lottery website or mobile app.
Indiana
The Hoosier Lottery platform helps you find participating retailers quickly. It’s also possible to download the Hoosier Lottery app to make a digital playslip to receive your tickets faster when you purchase them at a local store.
Iowa
Find Iowa Lottery retailers by city or zip code. You can also make ePayslips using the LotteryPlus mobile app to save time.
Kansas
The interactive map from the Kansas Lottery lets you find retailers by city, county, or zip code.
Kentucky
You can buy Powerball tickets online through the Kentucky Lottery. This can be the easiest way to buy lottery tickets in Kentucky.
There is a separate tab for in-person ticket purchases. It’s possible to find retailers and cashing agents by city, county, and zip code here.
Louisiana
You can find licensed retailers by city and zip code using Louisiana Lottery.
Maryland
Over 4,800 retailers partner with the Maryland Lottery multiple draw games. The platform lets you buy Powerball tickets nearby by sharing your current location. It’s possible to search by zip code or by maneuvering the interactive map.
Maine
Mainers can purchase in-person tickets by finding a retailer by city or zip code. The Maine Lottery website also offers a subscription tool to purchase recurring tickets, so you never miss a drawing.
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Lottery location finder searches for lottery agents by city and zip code. If you enjoy other games of chance, there are advanced search filters for Keno and All or Nothing.
Michigan
The Michigan Lottery offers an online Quick Pick feature to digitally purchase Powerball tickets in $6, $10, or $20 increments. It’s also possible to buy Powerball tickets locally after searching for retailers using your current location or entering a city name here.
Minnesota
You can easily find a retailer by city or zip code on the Minnesota Lottery Powerball page.
Mississippi
The Mississippi Lottery lets you find retailers by entering your address or zip code into their searchable map.
Missouri
Search for Missouri Lottery retailers up to 45 miles away from your desired city or zip code. Retailers offer a JackPack to purchase tickets for the next Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, and Show Me Cash drawings.
Montana
The Montana Lottery lets you find retailers by typing your address, city, or zip code into the on-site search bar.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Lottery retail finder lets you find locations by city, county, or zip code. Of the various state lottery sites, this search tool is one of the least user-friendly, but you can still find a ticket seller quickly.
New Hampshire
It’s possible to buy Powerball tickets online and in-store with the New Hampshire Lottery. Residents can quickly purchase online tickets in $6, $10, or $20 blocks, and you can sign up for recurring purchases after creating an iLottery account.
In-store ticket purchases are also available at N.H. lottery retailers. You can find them here by entering your city or zip code.
New Jersey
The New Jersey Lottery lets you find retailers from five to 30 miles from the city or zip code you enter into the search tool. Their map is interactive if you’re comfortable zooming in and dragging your coordinates.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Lottery offers detailed information about each game. Unfortunately, there isn’t a retail location tool, and the organization simply states, “Lottery tickets are available at many grocery, gas, and convenience stores” on their FAQ page.
New York
The New York Lottery lets you find a retailer by entering your address, city, or zip code. Enabling location services to pinpoint the closest merchant is also possible.
North Carolina
Purchase Powerball tickets online directly from the North Carolina Education Lottery. The service encourages $8, $16, or $24 Quick Picks, but you can choose your own combinations too.
The platform’s Where to Play feature can list retailers using your current location. You may also search by county or zip code here.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Lottery offers a scrollable map with pinpoints of each lottery retailer. Creating an online Pick & Click account (free) may also allow you to purchase tickets for your favorite draw games.
Ohio
It’s possible to sift through over 9,800 Ohio Lottery retailers by searching by city name, zip code, or current location.
Oklahoma
You can find retailers using the Oklahoma Lottery website or mobile app by entering your city, zip, present location, or store name. This lottery app also lets you fill out electronic pay slips that you can share with the retailer to print paper Powerball tickets quickly.
Oregon
The Oregon Lottery provides a zoomable map plus search filters for retailer name, city, or zip code. This map lets you find retailers by the game to avoid video and scratch-its merchants.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Lottery narrows your search results to within one mile of your location.
This platform also makes it easy to estimate the winning of multiple players with the Pool Play feature. For example, you can enter the name and contribution amount from each player in your office lottery pool to calculate the payout.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is one of the most recent Powerball participants, and there are several lottery games to play in addition to this national favorite.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Lottery lets you find retailers by city or zip code online. Many online instant win games may be of interest too.
South Carolina
Lottery players can find Powerball tickets through the South Carolina Education Lottery, searching by city, county, zip code, or business name.
South Dakota
The South Dakota Lottery maintains a PDF document of the state’s current scratch and lottery vendors. You can search by city name, establishment name, and retailer address.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Lottery lets you find retailers by zip code. The scrollable list filters results by business name and city in alphabetical order.
Texas
It’s easiest to find Texas Lottery retailers by zip code. The other search filter is by city.
U.S. Virgin Islands
The U.S. Virgin Islands Lottery lists where to buy lottery tickets on St. Thomas and St. Croix. It’s also possible to find retailers in St. John.
Vermont
There are numerous places to play the Vermont Lottery. In addition to one-time ticket purchases, you can enroll in a Powerball subscription for recurring entries.
Virginia
Similar to several other states, you can play Powerball online through the Virginia Lottery. You can purchase Mega Millions tickets and entries for many other games.
Local retailers can also be found here by county or zip code. In addition, the retailer search tool lets you find merchants that only offer Game Machines.
Washington, D.C.
The DC Lottery partners with iLottery to provide online tickets that can be self-made or Quick Picks. You can use the store locater tool to purchase Powerball tickets in D.C. locally.
Washington State
If you live in Washington State, you can find retailers by zip code, city, or street address here.
West Virginia
The West Virginia Lottery retailer locater allows you to search by address, city, or zip. Your search radius can be from five to 75 miles.
Wisconsin
To buy Wisconsin Lottery tickets, you can browse retailers by zip code and city.
Wyoming
The WyoLotto platform lets you browse a map, and its search tool enables you to enter a specific location and narrow your results to the nearest mile.
Summary
Playing Powerball can be fun whether you’re vying for the minimum grand prize of $20 million or hoping to become a billionaire. However, the odds of winning are next to none, so you should bet responsibly. Can you win at gambling? It depends on what you consider winning.
As a lottery alternative, you may want to try games that pay real money, like Blackout Bingo or Bingo Clash, without placing your own money on the line.