Powerball Australia – Online Lottery Review

Oz Powerball Australia Overview

The Australia Powerball or the Oz Powerball is the largest lottery game on the island country. Each week hundreds of winners are chosen for many of their amazing rewards. The Oz Powerball jackpot has a minimum guaranteed amount of €1.9 million or $3 million AUD and it rolls indefinitely with each draw that it is not won. This way the jackpot can generate some life-changing sums. When we put into account the fact that the odds of winning are pretty decent, we can safely say the Oz Powerball in Australia is a lottery game worth playing.

As the name suggests, the game shares some similarities to the original US Powerball that has been around for a much longer time. However, still this is a unique game with an identity on its own. Curious to try it? Let’s start reviewing it in detail below.

Australian Oz Powerball History

The Australian Oz Powerball has been established in May 1996 in all states of Australia. However, this lottery truly gained popularity in March 2013 when the Tatts Group changed some of its rules and format of play.

Now, the new gameplay of the Australian Oz Powerball guarantees bigger wins and generates staggering amounts of their jackpots.

Ever since this game was introduced in Australia, it was the symbol of the lottery and was played nationwide. The Tatts Group operates in almost every Australian state with the exception of Western Australia where Oz Powerball is operated by Lotterywest.

Oz Powerball Timeline Changes

In recent years the Oz Powerball underwent some modifications that made the odds of winning not too favorable while the prizes are bigger. When this game initially appeared on the scene in 1996 people could win the Oz Powerball jackpot with 1 in 54,979,155. However, the chances later increased to 1 in 76,767,600 and now they are 1 in 134,490,400 with the addition of numbers in the pool.

Most Recent Exciting Changes

In March 2013 the Tatts Group made a few exciting changes to the jackpot. Namely, if the jackpot reaches $10 million AU and it hasn’t been won still, it will be increased by $10 million AU with every upcoming draw. This significantly increases the jackpot producing some of the most staggering sums we see today.

Also, the number of digits drawn was increased from five to six in addition to the Powerball number. In April 2018 this was increased to seven numbers and with such odds, the secondary prize now has a much better odds of winning. Also, the number of tiers was increased too, so a ninth prize tier was also added to the game.

Oz Powerball Donations

The Oz Powerball lottery frequently donates much of its revenue to hospitals and health services, sports organizations, art-related and cultural initiatives, and various non-profit institutions around the country. This makes you feel good about playing it, knowing that you support such valuable causes.

The Differences between Two Powerball Lotteries

The game format of the Australian Powerball has some similarities to the US Powerball. However, two major differences are the odds of winning which are more favorable than its American counterpart because the pool of numbers to choose from is smaller. And the second is that the jackpot prizes are also a bit smaller than what the American Powerball generates.

How To Play Australia Powerball?

In order to play the Oz Powerball, the winner has to select seven main numbers from a pool of 1 to 35 and one additional number ranging between 1 and 20. This additional number is the Powerball number and it increases the chances of winning some of the other tier prizes. Plus there are more rewards in the prize pool with their recent reforms.

PowerHit Me at Oz Powerball

There is an option that seriously increases the player’s chances of winning, and that is the PowerHit. Some Australian states call it Power20 or PowerPik. Namely, this option allows the player to pick all Powerball numbers from 1 to 20 on their ticket in addition to their chosen six primary numbers.

This option costs about $34 AU but it is well worth it considering how much it increases your chances of winning.

Oz Powerball Jackpot

If people manage to get all eight numbers correctly during a draw, they will win the jackpot. As we said before, the current odds for that are 1 in 134,490,400 and the minimum jackpot in $3 million AU. As soon as this jackpot hits $10 million AU, which can happen fairly easily, it starts to roll by additional $10 million AU with each draw. So, by playing when the jackpot nears the $10 million AU you are increasing your chances of winning some big sums of money. The jackpot is known to ever roll to $70 million AU within two months before people win it.

The Oz Powerball Jackpot as Secondary Prize

However, the best part is that if the Oz Powerball Jackpot isn’t won in 25 consecutive draws, it rolls over to the secondary prize tier. This way, the odds of winning the jackpot here are much more favorable.

Oz Powerball Draw Time

The draw happens every week only once each Thursday in the Tatts Group studio and it monitored and controlled by government officials to make sure that everything runs smoothly and the draws are legit each time. The numbers are drawn from two drums.

Oz Powerball Prize Divisions and Odds of Winning

Six numbers are needed to win the jackpot plus the Powerball number. The odds for this are 1 in 134,490,400. If there is more than one winner for any of the prize tiers, they will share the amount among the winners.

The second division prize requires that a player matches six of the main numbers without the Powerball and the odds of this are 1 in 4,040,400. The third division prize is won by matching five winning numbers together with the bonus number and the odds for this are 1 in 376,312. The fourth tier prize can be won by selecting five winning numbers of the primary ones and the odds are 1 in 19,806. The fifth prize division is won by choosing four primary numbers and matching the Powerball number. The odds for this are 1 in 9,123 while for the sixth prize division the odds are 1 in 641 and the player needs to match the Powerball plus three primary winning numbers.

The seventh prize division requires four primary numbers matched without the bonus one while the eighth and last prize tier needs two matched numbers with the Powerball number. The odds for these last two tiers are 1 in 480 and 1 in 110 respectively.

Who Can Play the Oz Powerball?

The Australian Powerball can be played by anyone over 18 years of age. In Australia, players can buy the bets in stores while anywhere else online.

Is Oz Powerball an Online Lottery?

Retail venues in Australia sell the Oz Powerball bets, but if playing online, you will need to find an authorized and reputable online lottery agent. This can be their official website or other licensed lottery sites that you trust or you find based on reliable reviews. Also always make sure to check the terms and conditions they have onsite. Once you find the one you trust, make the purchase and a lottery agent will buy the bet on your account with your selected numbers.

Note that when playing online, you are paying the agent’s commission too, so the bets will be pricier than the ones in Australia. However, this price difference is insignificant in comparison to what players can win.

Paying Tax

The Oz Lotto winners in Australia don’t have to pay taxes of any kind as the Australian Government doesn’t consider lottery wins as taxable income. However, if people are playing the Australian Powerball online from a different country, they need to check with their local authorities on whether any taxes are charged and how much.

One Form of Payout

The payout options at Oz Powerball are limited to a lump sum option only. Its American counterpart offers both the annuity payments and the lump sum, but the lottery in Australia pays the entire amount directly.

Oz Powerball Customer Service

If you have any questions, remarks, or concerns, you can contact Oz Powerball in Australia via email, telephone, and snail-mail. They reply quickly and from the online reviews and comments by players, they usually resolve any problems quickly.

Oz Powerball – Would We Recommend It?

The Oz Powerball is a simple and straightforward lottery in Australia that can be played by anyone online. We would definitely recommend it as it’s regulated and run by a group that has many other fortune games in their portfolio. The jackpot also grows rapidly and the odds are decent when compared to some of the other similar lottery games in the world. Many jackpot winners are produced regularly. Plus, the biggest advantage is that it is tax-free so the winner in Australia actually get the entire advertised amount.