Prize tier, in full
Australian and several European operators call them divisions, numbered from Division 1 at the top. US and UK material usually just names the match: Match 5 + Powerball, Match 4, and so on. Tiers are exclusive, so a ticket falls into exactly one of them, the highest it qualifies for. Matching four numbers does not also pay the match-three prize.
How much a tier pays depends on the game's design. In a pari-mutuel game a fixed percentage of the prize fund is allocated to each tier and then split among that tier's winners, so the amount is unknown until the draw closes. In a fixed-prize game the operator states the amount in advance and pays it to everyone who qualifies. Plenty of games mix the two, running a pari-mutuel jackpot above fixed lower tiers.
The lowest tier carries almost all the winners and almost none of the money, and it is the one that makes the advertised overall odds sound short. Powerball publishes nine tiers and overall odds of 1 in 24.87, but most of that 1 in 24.87 is the bottom two rungs paying $4 on a $2 line.
- Lottery mechanics
- Prize division, Prize level
A worked example
UK Lotto pays six tiers. Match 6 takes the jackpot, Match 5 + Bonus Ball is next, then Match 5, Match 4 and Match 3, and Match 2 pays no cash at all, just a free Lucky Dip in a later draw. A ticket matching five main numbers plus the bonus wins only the second tier, not that tier plus every tier beneath it.
Sources
Powerball's published prize chart lists nine tiers defined by exact match counts, with the jackpot at 1 in 292,201,338 and overall odds of winning any prize of 1 in 24.87.
Powerball — Powerball Prize Chart
See also
Where it comes up on this site
Prize tier: frequently asked
No. One ticket, one payment, at the highest tier it reaches.
In a pari-mutuel game the tier receives a set share of the prize fund and that share is split among however many tickets reach it. Sales move, winner counts move, so the per-winner figure moves with them. Fixed-prize tiers hold still, because the operator commits to the amount before the draw rather than after it.