Lottery rules: the bonus ball Updated 22 Oct 2026
Top 10 Lotteries with Bonus Ball in 2026
A bonus ball is not a promotion. It is an extra number some lotteries draw after the main numbers, and it only matters for some prize tiers. You do not pay for it or claim it: your line matches it or it does not.
Two designs share the name. In some lotteries the bonus comes from the same pool as the main numbers and you do not pick it. In others you pick the extra number yourself from a separate pool, and it is part of the jackpot combination.
How the bonus ball works in five lotteries
Rules as each lottery publishes them. Check the official game rules before you play, as lotteries change their formats.
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Rule
UK Lotto
In UK Lotto six main numbers are drawn from 59, then one Bonus Ball from the same pool. Five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball pays £1,000,000 at odds of 1 in 3,754,790; five without it pays £1,000 at odds of 1 in 72,208.
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Rule
Lotto 6/49
In Lotto 6/49 the bonus number is drawn from the same pool after the six winning numbers, and it decides one tier: five numbers plus the bonus, at odds of 1 in 2,330,636, with the prize shared between that tier's winners.
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Rule
Irish Lotto
In Irish Lotto the bonus number is drawn from the numbers left after the winning six, so it can never repeat one of them. Which prize tiers count it is set out in the lottery's prize table.
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Rule
Powerball
In Powerball you pick five numbers from 69 and one Powerball from a separate pool of 26. The Powerball is part of the jackpot combination, not an extra chance: you need it as well as all five main numbers.
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Rule
EuroMillions
In EuroMillions you pick your Lucky Stars from a separate pool, alongside the main numbers. Like the Powerball, they are part of the winning combination rather than a separate bonus draw.
Bonus ball: common questions
Is the bonus ball a bonus I can claim?
No. It is part of how some lotteries draw their numbers. A lottery site's welcome offer is something else: see lottery bonuses for those.
Does the bonus ball improve my odds of the jackpot?
No. Where it is drawn from the main pool, it only creates a prize tier between five numbers and six; the jackpot still needs the six main numbers. Where you pick it from a separate pool, as in Powerball, it makes the jackpot harder to win, because you must match it too.
Do I choose the bonus ball?
In UK Lotto, Lotto 6/49 and Irish Lotto, no: it is drawn from the same numbers as your main picks, and any of your six can match it. In Powerball and EuroMillions you choose the extra numbers yourself from their own pool.
What does matching only the bonus ball win?
In main-pool games, usually nothing on its own: it counts only with five main numbers. In Powerball, matching the Powerball alone pays $4, at odds of 1 in 38.32. Check each lottery's prize table on its results page or the official rules.
Why do lottery sites list the bonus ball as a promotion?
Some pages mix the two up. A lottery site cannot change how a lottery draws its numbers; it can only sell you an entry or a bet on that draw.
Set the spend before you pick the numbers.
Most lottery lines win nothing. Decide a monthly amount you can lose, and use the deposit limits on the site you play at.