Currently Powerball Lotto tickets cost $1. For each lotto ticket they purchase players must select five numbers from a set of 59 (white balls) and one number from a set of 39 (The PowerBall). Lotto players can select their numbers on their own, or, they can elect to have the lotto computer randomly select one or more of their numbers (called "quick pick", "easy pick", etc. depending on the Lotto jurisdiction. For each drawing, the winning lotto numbers are selected in the same fashion using two ball machines; one contains white balls numbered 1 through 59, and the second is the Powerball machine containing the red balls numbered 1 through 39. Five balls are drawn from the first machine, and one from the Powerball machine; these become the official winning Lotto numbers. Tickets which match at least three white balls and/or the red Powerball are winners.

Two identical machines are used for each drawing, randomly selected from a total of four lotto machines. The model of machine used is the Halogen, manufactured by Smartplay International of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. There are eight numbered sets of balls (four white, four red); one set of each color to be used for the drawing are also selected. The balls are mixed by a turntable at the bottom of the machine that propels the balls around the chamber. When the machine selects a ball, the turntable slows to catch it, sends it up the shaft, and then down the rail to the display.

Over the years the Lotto draw matrix has varied:

Powerplay Option

For an additional $1 per ticket, Lotto players may activate the optional PowerPlay feature, which applies a multiplier drawn by random number generator, to all prizes except the Lotto jackpot. Depending on the PowerPlay number, players may multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2x to 5x. The multiplier for the 5+0 (second prize) is guaranteed to be 5x.

A promotion from March 2 through March 29, 2006, replaced one of the four 5× slots, (when the multiplier was selected using a wheel), on the PowerPlay wheel with 10x. The 10× multiplier was drawn once, on March 11, 2006. The 10× multiplier returned in April 2007; again, it came up one time. The 10× space came back on April 2, 2008, with the ball finding the 10× space twice for the first time in a 10× promotional period. During each promotion, MUSL guaranteed that the ball would land in the 10× "space" least once, extending the promotion into a second month, and beyond that, if necessary.

PowerPlay's success has led to similar multipliers in some other games, such as the tripler in MUSL's smaller Hot Lotto, called Sizzler (Triple Sizzler in North Dakota), and Megaplier (exclusive to Texas) for Mega Millions. The Florida Lottery added Xtra to its Florida Lotto game October 14, 2009 to Win Prizes.

Payouts (on the base $1 play) are according to the following:

Overall probability of winning a Lotto prize is 1 in 35.11. All non-jackpot prizes are fixed amounts, although they may be reduced and paid on a parimutuel basis if the number of Lotto winners at each prize level exceeds the funds in the prize pool for that drawing. Same Applies in most states including the PA Lottery.