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UK Powerball vs Thunderball: Odds, Prices and Prizes Compared
UK Powerball is much harder to win outright than Thunderball: its jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338 per line, against 1 in 8,060,598 for Thunderball’s top prize, so it is about 36 times less likely. A Powerball line costs £4 and a Thunderball line £1, and the prizes at the top are very different.
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The two games side by side
| UK Powerball | Thunderball | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per line | £4 | £1 |
| Numbers you pick | 5 from 1 to 69, plus a Powerball from 1 to 26 | 5 from 1 to 39, plus a Thunderball from 1 to 14 |
| Draws | 3 a week (play by Monday, Wednesday or Saturday) | 4 a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) |
| Top prize | A jackpot shared with the US game, paid over 30 years | £500,000, fixed |
| Odds of the top prize | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1 in 8,060,598 |
Why the Powerball odds are so much longer
The difference comes from the size of the number pools. To win the Powerball jackpot a line must match five main numbers out of 69 and one Powerball out of 26. There are 11,238,513 ways to choose five numbers from 69, and multiplying that by 26 gives 292,201,338 possible lines. Thunderball draws five main numbers from only 39 and one Thunderball from 14: there are 575,757 ways to choose the five, and multiplying by 14 gives 8,060,598.
Dividing one figure by the other shows the Powerball jackpot is roughly 36 times less likely than the Thunderball top prize. One Powerball line costs the same as four Thunderball lines. Every line has the same chance in a draw, whichever numbers are chosen.
What the top prizes pay
The two top prizes work in different ways. Thunderball’s top prize is a fixed £500,000 for every line that matches all five main numbers and the Thunderball, so it isn’t split between winners; the rules allow fixed prizes to be capped only in very limited circumstances.
The UK Powerball jackpot comes from a single pool that UK players share with the US game, so its size changes from draw to draw. UK jackpot winners are paid over 30 years.
Smaller prizes
Most prizes in both games are far smaller than the top ones. On UK Powerball, matching just two main numbers wins a fixed £8, a tier only UK players have. Thunderball also has a ladder of lower prizes, several of which need the Thunderball to match. In both games most lines win nothing in a given draw, and a prize is not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Powerball harder to win than Thunderball?
Yes. The UK Powerball jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338 per line, about 36 times longer than Thunderball’s top-prize odds of 1 in 8,060,598.
Which costs more, UK Powerball or Thunderball?
UK Powerball costs £4 a line and Thunderball £1 a line, for each draw you enter.
Is the Thunderball top prize shared?
No. Each line matching all five main numbers and the Thunderball wins £500,000, apart from capping in very limited circumstances. The Powerball jackpot pool is shared with US players.
Related guides: how the UK Powerball jackpot is paid out, what 2 numbers win on UK Powerball and how Thunderball compares with the Postcode Lottery.
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