Powerball Is International Now And Oklahoma Players Are Just Finding Out

Lottery players in Oklahoma are just now learning something new about the Powerball.

It's international now.

Not "international" in the sense that people in other countries have heard of Powerball... It's now organized so that people in another country are playing the same Powerball we're playing here in Oklahoma.

The United Kingdom joined the game this summer... So when you buy a Powerball ticket in Oklahoma, you're now playing for the same jackpot as somebody who bought a ticket in London.

How Did This News Fly So Far Under the Radar?

Powerball has been legal here in Oklahoma for a whole generation now. 21 years. And even if you don't play, you're probably getting the gist of it.

You pick your numbers, pay your two bucks, and catch the next drawing with hopes of beating out the other 181 million Americans playing it... But now, since the UK started selling Powerball tickets last month, those players are part of our same jackpot pool.

While people who find this out - and this is the conversation I heard while buying my morning Monster - they're worried about the odds and a little peeved that this has been kept so quiet in the news.

What Does The UK Powerball Expansion Mean For Oklahoma?

The money from your Oklahoma Powerball ticket doesn't suddenly leave the country. The portion of the ticket money that stays in Oklahoma still stays here in Oklahoma... We're just sharing future jackpots.

And because this international extension adds nearly 70 million players, the jackpots can grow a lot faster.

That's great news for the lottery, but not necessarily for your retirement plans because the odds are still terrible.

Did The UK Change Powerball Odds?

The obvious is no... Adding the UK didn't improve our chances of winning.

It's really sort of curious how Powerball is spinning this, because even though they've added nearly 35% more players, they say your odds are roughly still the same.

One in 292 million.

Hitting is still life-changing, and that's always been the draw, right? While it means big houses and fancy trucks in America... It'd be life-changing for the Brits too, finally bringing themselves up to Mississippi's quality of life.