Powerball meets the NFL: new football-themed prizes

By Kate Northrop

The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) has officially announced the start date for the new Powerball Xs and Os game, which aims to combine two of America's favorite pastimes: football and the lottery.

National Football League (NFL) fans rejoice — Powerball Xs and Os lottery ticket sales begin next week to kick off weekly drawings for both monetary and experiential prizes.

While Powerball recently expanded to allow players in the United Kingdom to participate in its huge jackpot-focused game, U.S.-based players are getting a new type of multi-state game exclusive to the states that will offer unique prizes of a new kind.

Ticket sales are set to begin Tuesday, Sept. 8, with the first draw taking place on Sunday, Sept. 13. Drawings will occur every Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

At $5 per ticket, players pick eight out of 32 NFL team logos for a chance to win a rolling jackpot and other cash prizes, MUSL said. Winning team logos will be drawn at random every Sunday night.

Matching all eight teams, at odds of 1 in 10,518,300, will win the rolling cash jackpot. Matching seven will win the $20,000 second-tier cash prize, with lesser prizes ranging from $7 to $500.

Players who enter their tickets at www.PowerballOfficial.com will also have access to more chances for non-cash prizes as well. Tickets that are entered accrue points, which players can enter in different drawings for a chance to win the prizes they want the most.

Some of those prizes include a trip to Super Bowl LXI, NFL Shop gift cards to purchase officially licensed NFL gear, and unique NFL experiences.

There is no additional cost to entering these drawings. Both winning and non-winning Powerball Xs and Os tickets can be entered, and there is no need to wait for a drawing to occur to enter tickets. Tickets may be entered as soon as they are purchased.

"Powerball Xs & Os is more than a game launch — it's the debut of the first national promotional prize program in Powerball history," Powerball Xs & Os Product Group Chair and Oklahoma Lottery Executive Director Jay Finks said in a press release. "This national program allows us to offer premier NFL prizes and experiences on a scale never before possible through a Powerball promotion. From exclusive merchandise to a trip to the Super Bowl, players can unlock more value and excitement from every ticket."

Players in applicable jurisdictions can also connect their iLottery account to automatically include eligible online ticket purchases and continue earning points that way.

Earlier this year, Lottery Post reported that state lottery officials confirmed a collaboration with the NFL that would place MUSL and the lottery right at the heart of American sports. In a gaming industry that has lotteries competing with sports betting for consumer dollars, it's simultaneously a foot in the door and a major stake.

It "isn't sports betting... but it's going to be able to live in that environment, thrive in that environment without being sports betting. I think it's going to be the best of both worlds," Finks described of the new game at the La Fleur's Lottery World conference in October 2025.

The game will be available in 24 jurisdictions at launch: Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana (Hoosier), Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia.

Other U.S. lotteries plan to join the game later in the year, MUSL advised. Players should refer to their own state lottery for rules on availability, purchase options, ticket entry methods, and promotional participation, as they may vary by jurisdiction.