Powerball was started as an American game which was eventually launched in 44 more states. Some of the places which offer Powerball are Australia, South Africa, District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Powerball is managed by the Multi-State Lottery Association, which was formed on Sept. 16, 1987.
The story of the lottery system began with Lotto America, which ended in April 1992. Lotto America did not offer any cash option and it only gave an annuity of 20 years. It was replaced by Powerball and the first draw of Powerball took place on April 22, 1992.
Powerball was the first-ever game that allowed the use of two drums. This offered the players better chances at manipulation and higher chances of winning a jackpot.
There was an increase in the annuity of Powerball from 20 to 25 years on November 2nd, 1997. The option of receiving a cash payment was also added at the same time.
The first Powerball game played in South Africa was on October 23, 2009. Powerball became famous for handing out the biggest jackpots in the history of the South African lottery. In South African Powerball, the players have to choose 5 main numbers from 1-50 and one Powerball from 1-20.
Powerball rules were changed on November 28, 2015. This day also saw the introduction of Powerball Plus.
The game of Powerball saw a record-smashing hit jackpot in the years of 2010, 2011 and 2016. Each year had one winner and the winning amounts for every year were R91,068,427.00, R102,016,595.00 and R87,624,435.00.
In the year 2018, two of the highest winning amounts were shared by 4 people. The winning amounts were of R145,469,799.30 and R110,000,000.00.
4th highest Powerball Plus lottery amount was given to an unemployed father on 26th, November 2019. The winning lottery ticket amount was R114,242,816.50. This ticket was bought by the father from the Sharp supermarket with R15. He selected his numbers.
In the current game of Powerball played in South Africa, a player has to choose 5 main numbers from 1 to 50 and 1 Powerball from 1 to 20.