OddsCalc

Lottery Odds Calculator

How unlikely is that jackpot, really?

Total Numbers

Numbers Picked

Odds

1 in 13,983,816

For entertainment and informational purposes only.

Combinations: 13,983,816
Probability: 7.1511e-8

What you entered

Total Numbers: 49Numbers Picked: 6

1
Combination formula C(n, k)
C(49, 6) = 49! / (6! x (49-6)!)= 13,983,816
2
Probability of winning
1 / 13,983,816= 7.1511e-8
3
Odds
1 in C(49, 6)= 1 in 13,983,816

Result

Odds: 1 in 13,983,816

Picking 6 numbers from 49 gives 1 in 13,983,816 odds of a perfect match.

Odds of matching every number in common lottery formats

The number of possible combinations is n choose k. Your chance of any single ticket winning is one divided by that.

Format	Combinations	Odds	Probability
Pick 6 of 40	3,838,380	1 in 3,838,380	2.6053 x 10^-7
Pick 5 of 50	2,118,760	1 in 2,118,760	4.7197 x 10^-7
Pick 5 of 59	5,006,386	1 in 5,006,386	1.9974 x 10^-7
Pick 6 of 45	8,145,060	1 in 8,145,060	1.2277 x 10^-7
Pick 5 of 69	11,238,513	1 in 11,238,513	8.8980 x 10^-8
Pick 5 of 70	12,103,014	1 in 12,103,014	8.2624 x 10^-8
Pick 6 of 49	13,983,816	1 in 13,983,816	7.1511 x 10^-8

Adding numbers to the pool raises the odds steeply: going from 40 to 49 numbers in a pick-6 makes it nearly four times harder. Real jackpot games add a bonus ball on top, pushing the true odds into the hundreds of millions. Gambling odds always favour the house over time. Treat any stake as money spent on entertainment, and never as an expected return.

Combinations, not permutations

Lottery odds use combinations C(n,k) because the order you pick numbers doesn't matter — picking 6 from 49 gives C(49,6) = 13,983,816 possible combinations, meaning 1-in-nearly-14-million odds.

Adding a bonus ball makes it much harder

Lotteries like Powerball add a second pool (the bonus ball) — the total odds become C(69,5) × C(26,1) = about 1 in 292 million, because you need to match both the main numbers AND the separate bonus number.

Frequently asked questions

What are the actual odds of winning Powerball?

About 1 in 292.2 million for the jackpot (match 5 from 69 + 1 from 26). You're roughly 300 times more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than to win a single Powerball drawing.

If I buy 100 tickets, do my odds become 100 in 292 million?

Yes, exactly — 100 tickets give you a 1 in 2.92 million chance. But that's still an incredibly small probability, and $200 worth of tickets has an expected return of about $60-$80 depending on the jackpot size.

How is the lottery odds calculator different from the dice roll probability calculator?

The lottery calculator uses combinations (order doesn't matter) for drawing without replacement from a fixed pool. The dice calculator uses permutations with replacement — each die roll is independent and has no effect on the next.