What makes US Powerball so popular around the world?
American lottery players get to choose between purchasing tickets for local lotteries organized by the state they are living in or games held nationwide such as the US Powerball or Mega Millions. The latter has larger prizes and although the odds seem crushing, the prospect of winning huge amounts easily surpasses the downsides. For players residing outside the borders of the United States, the US Powerball remains the leading attraction and the huge jackpots are the ultimate incentive.
Hundreds of millions to be won
The US Powerball is second only to Mega Millions in terms of the largest amount ever awarded to a winner, with the current record standing at $587 million. The prize was won after the jackpots were rolled over several times and it was only 60 millions shy of matching the absolute record held by the Mega Millions. In the last decades, this lottery made hundreds of millionaires and some of them took home amounts that exceeded $100 million. For many lottery players around the world, it is impossible to win such a prize by playing a local lottery and this makes the US Powerball irresistible.
Add to this the fact that it is now possible to purchase tickets over the Internet and then collect the money yourself or have it wired, and it is easy to understand why the number of ticket buyers from abroad has increased. American residents can opt in for the annuity and avoid paying an additional fee, something that winners from beyond borders are not eligible for. On the other hand the overwhelming majority of winners chooses the lump payment especially when the amount they win is considerable.
Easy rules and transparent draws
There are some differences between the US Powerball and most European lotteries, with the American game having two sets of numbers extracted. In addition to the main numbers an extra one is drawn and this one goes by the name of Powerball, with the jackpots being won by the player who matches the numbers from both categories. This slight difference is not enough to have a deterring effect on lottery players from around the world, and the other rules are easy to comprehend.
The draws are held twice a week and the results are published on the official website, which makes it easy for those who purchase tickets online to compare the numbers against the winning ones. Playing the US Powerball has never been easier and the only challenge that foreign players need to overcome is finding a respectable lottery vendor. Whether they demand the original tickets to be shipped to their location prior to the draw or settle for a scanned copy, they can always have proof of their tickets being bought on time.
Check out the Winning the Powerball – Lottery Master Guide as well.
