What Are the Odds of Actually Winning the Lotto in Australia?

Yesterday, Powerball numbers were drawn. With $100 million up for grabs, the numbers were 6, 11, 14, 17, 24, 25, 33, and the Powerball was 18. Sadly, no one won, meaning the Powerball rolls over to a $160M jackpot next week. It’s not a bad haul for simply picking the right numbers, so what are the chances that you’d actually win the Lotto here in Australia?

Lottoland has broken down the probability of winning across a range of lotteries, and let’s just say, it’s a bit of a reality check. The chances of winning any prize in the Oz Lotto is 1 in 55, but if you’re keen to score the jackpot, the odds skyrocket to 1 in 45,379,620.

It’s a similar case for the Powerball lottery, but even harder to win. The odds of winning any Powerball prize is 1 in 25, but the odds of winning the jackpot is 1 in 292,201,338.

According to Lottoland, the best way to figure out these odds is by looking at the total amount of balls that appear in each draw, and the range of numbers that players have to choose from.

Next, you’ll want to do some serious number crunching and tricky equations that you can learn more about here.

Then you’ll need to work out your overall chance of winning by multiplying the results of these equations together. Dividing that by one will give you your odds. If you’re into maths, it might seem pretty straightforward, but it also reveals a very slim chance of winning.

In fact, according to a 2015 article in Review Journal, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning, crushed by a meteorite, contract Ebola, die in a plane crash, become a U.S. President or astronaut, write a New York Times Best Seller, lose an appendage in a chainsaw accident, win an Olympic gold medal or an Oscar in your lifetime than win the lottery.

For those who have won – now that is good luck.

This article has been updated and retimed since its original publication date.