MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Powerball players will soon have an extra chance every week to try for the big jackpot, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Tuesday.
Beginning August 23, the multi-state lottery game will add another drawing on Monday nights, to go along with the current drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Lottery said.
“This change will help us give our players exactly what they’ve told us they want — larger, faster-growing jackpots,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “We’re also reminding our players that every ticket sold helps us generate money for the senior programs that older Pennsylvanians rely upon each and every day.”
Another Powerball change starting with the August 23 drawing is that Pennsylvania players will also be able to add Double-Play to their purchase, Svitko said. Double Play is a new optional feature that, for an additional $1 per play, will give players another chance to win with their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing -- with a top cash prize of $10 million.
The Double Play drawing will be held after every Powerball drawing, the Lottery said. Players will play the same set of numbers in both the main Powerball drawing and Double Play drawing, and Powerball tickets that include the Double Play add-on will be eligible to win prizes in both drawings.
The Double-Play drawing will not be televised, but it will be live streamed on Powerball.com and available to watch on the PA Lottery’s website.
Adding a third drawing day will not change the Powerball game odds or cash prizes. Players will continue to choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. The Power Play add-on feature will also continue to be available for an additional $1 per play to multiply non-jackpot prizes, and will only apply to prizes won in the Powerball drawing.
All 48 U.S. lotteries will sell tickets for the Powerball drawing on Monday nights.
“By continuously innovating to meet our players’ needs, we can keep Lottery funds flowing to Pennsylvania seniors to help pay for services like prescription assistance, transportation, and rent and property tax rebates,” added Svitko.
On May 26, the number of advance draws available started to decrease by one, after each drawing, and will do so until the August 23 drawing. The number of advance draws available will change from 26 draws to 20 draws.
