Watch any lottery draw and you will see one ball that gets more attention than all the rest. After the main numbers are drawn, one extra ball appears — and for some players, that single ball is worth a fortune. That extra ball is the lottery bonus ball, and it is one of the most misunderstood parts of the game. This guide explains what a bonus ball is, how it works in UK Lotto, Powerball, Mega Millions and other games around the world, which prizes it unlocks, and the one thing it can never do. Please note: you must be 18 or older to play the lottery in most places. Play responsibly.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Lottery Bonus Ball?
- The UK Lotto Bonus Ball
- The Powerball and the Mega Ball
- Bonus Balls Around the World
- How the Bonus Ball Changes the Odds
- Common Bonus Ball Mistakes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What Is a Lottery Bonus Ball?
A lottery bonus ball is an extra number drawn after the main numbers in a lottery draw. It comes from a separate pool of numbers — or, in some games, from the same pool after the main numbers have been removed — and it can unlock additional prize tiers or multiply prizes. Different games give it different names: the Powerball, the Mega Ball, the Star Ball, the Lucky Ball, the supplementary number, or simply the bonus ball.
The important idea is that the bonus ball is part of the game itself. You do not pick it separately in most games, and you do not pay extra for it. In UK Lotto, for example, you pick six numbers and the bonus ball is drawn automatically from the balls that remain. In Powerball and Mega Millions, you do pick the bonus ball yourself — it is the red Powerball or the gold Mega Ball on your ticket — but it still comes from its own separate pool. As Wikipedia’s article on the mega number explains, games that use two number pools do so to control both the jackpot odds and the overall odds of winning a prize.
The bonus ball matters because it decides certain prize tiers. Without it, some games would have far fewer winners and far less excitement. But it also causes more confusion than almost any other part of the lottery, because players often assume it does more than it does.
The UK Lotto Bonus Ball
The UK Lotto is the clearest example of how a bonus ball works. Players pick six numbers from 1 to 59. In the draw, six main numbers are pulled from the machine first. Then one more ball is drawn from the 53 balls that remain. That seventh ball is the bonus ball. You can read the full rules in our UK Lotto guide.
The bonus ball has exactly one job in UK Lotto: it separates the Match 5 winners into two prize tiers. If you match five of the six main numbers and your sixth number is the bonus ball, you win the Match 5 + Bonus Ball prize — a fixed £1,000,000. If you match five main numbers but your sixth number is not the bonus ball, you win the ordinary Match 5 prize, which is far smaller (typically around £1,750, depending on the draw).
That is a huge difference for a single ball, and it is why the bonus ball is the most tense moment of the UK Lotto draw for anyone holding five matches. The odds of reaching the Match 5 + Bonus Ball tier are about 1 in 7.5 million, while the odds of Match 5 alone are about 1 in 144,415. The Dream Jackpot Lotto bonus ball guide explains the same example with a worked set of numbers.
Notice what the bonus ball does not do in UK Lotto. It does not affect the jackpot — to win the jackpot you must match all six main numbers, and the bonus ball cannot turn five matches into six. It does not help you if you matched fewer than five main numbers. Matching one main number and the bonus ball wins nothing at all. The bonus ball only matters once you have already matched five.
The Powerball and the Mega Ball
In the big American games, the bonus ball works differently — it is a required number, not a tiebreaker. In Powerball, you pick five white balls from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball from a separate pool of 1 to 26. To win the jackpot, you must match all five white balls and the Powerball. Matching the Powerball alone wins a $4 prize, and matching it alongside other numbers unlocks most of the prize tiers. The Powerball is drawn from its own drum, so it can be the same number as one of your white balls without that counting as a match — the two pools are completely separate.
Mega Millions works the same way: five main numbers from 1 to 70, plus one gold Mega Ball from a separate pool of 1 to 24. The jackpot requires all five main numbers plus the Mega Ball, and the overall jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336. For Powerball, the jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338. These figures are published by the games themselves and confirmed by independent odds calculators. Our guide to lottery odds for beginners shows how the two-pool design creates those enormous numbers.
The difference between the American games and UK Lotto is worth spelling out. In Powerball and Mega Millions, the bonus ball is essential — without matching it, you cannot win the jackpot at all. In UK Lotto, the bonus ball is a booster — it improves one specific prize tier but is never needed for the jackpot. Both designs use a bonus ball, but they use it for opposite purposes.
Bonus Balls Around the World
Almost every major lottery uses some form of bonus ball. In Canada, Lotto 6/49 draws a bonus number after the six main numbers, and matching five main numbers plus the bonus number wins the second prize instead of the third. In Australia, Saturday Lotto and Oz Lotto draw two supplementary numbers, which work like bonus balls across several prize divisions. In New Zealand, Lotto draws a bonus ball from the 34 balls remaining after the six main numbers, and it decides the even-numbered prize divisions — Divisions 2, 4 and 6. The odds of Division 2 (five main numbers plus the bonus ball) are 1 in 639,730.
In Europe, EuroMillions uses two Lucky Stars drawn from a separate pool of 1 to 12, and both are required for the jackpot alongside the five main numbers. In Italy, SuperEnalotto players pick six numbers from 1 to 90 and a separate Jolly number acts as a bonus ball for the second prize tier. The names change, but the idea is always the same: an extra number that creates more prize tiers and more drama at the end of the draw.
As the Lottery.net glossary puts it, a bonus ball “can never be substituted for one of the other numbers when counting how many you match” — if you pick the number 7 as a main number and 7 is drawn as the bonus ball, that does not count as a match. This rule surprises many new players, so it is worth remembering.
How the Bonus Ball Changes the Odds
The bonus ball changes the odds of a game in two ways. First, in games like Powerball and Mega Millions, adding a second pool multiplies the total number of possible combinations. Powerball has 11,238,513 ways to choose five white balls from 69, and multiplying that by 26 possible Powerballs gives 292,201,338 combinations. That is why the jackpot odds are so long.
Second, in games like UK Lotto, the bonus ball creates an extra prize tier without changing the jackpot odds at all. The jackpot still requires six matches out of 59, with odds of about 1 in 45 million. The bonus ball simply splits one existing tier into two, giving near-miss players a much bigger prize when the extra ball falls their way.
This is also why the bonus ball makes the game more fun to watch. In a game without a bonus ball, the draw is over once the main numbers are out. With a bonus ball, players who matched five numbers get one more moment of hope — and that moment is what keeps millions of people watching the draw to the very end. Our guide to lottery prize tiers explains how each tier fits into the overall prize structure.
Common Bonus Ball Mistakes
The most common mistake is believing the bonus ball can complete a jackpot. It cannot — not in UK Lotto, not in Lotto 6/49, not in New Zealand Lotto, and not in any game where the bonus ball comes from the same pool after the main numbers. Five main numbers plus the bonus ball is a great prize, but it is not the jackpot, and no lottery will ever pay it as one.
The second mistake is thinking the bonus ball counts as a main-number match. It does not. If your ticket shows the bonus ball number among your main picks but that number was not drawn as a main number, it does not count. The bonus ball is checked separately, against its own rules, and only for the tiers it applies to.
The third mistake is assuming the bonus ball helps small wins. In most games it does not. Matching only the bonus ball wins nothing in UK Lotto, and matching one main number plus the bonus ball also wins nothing. In Powerball, matching the Powerball alone does win $4 — but that is because the Powerball is a required number from a separate pool, not a tiebreaker bonus ball. The rules are different in every game, so always check the prize table for the specific game you are playing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a lottery bonus ball?
A lottery bonus ball is an extra number drawn after the main numbers. It can unlock additional prize tiers or, in games like Powerball and Mega Millions, it is a required number drawn from a separate pool that you must match to win the jackpot.
Do I pick the bonus ball myself?
It depends on the game. In UK Lotto, Lotto 6/49 and New Zealand Lotto, the bonus ball is drawn automatically and you do not pick it. In Powerball and Mega Millions, you pick the Powerball or Mega Ball yourself from a separate pool when you buy your ticket.
What does the bonus ball win in UK Lotto?
In UK Lotto, the bonus ball only matters if you have matched five of the six main numbers. With the bonus ball as well, you win the Match 5 + Bonus Ball prize of £1,000,000. Without it, the Match 5 prize is far smaller. It never affects the jackpot.
Can the bonus ball help me win the jackpot?
In UK Lotto and similar games, no — the bonus ball can never turn five matches into a jackpot. In Powerball and Mega Millions, the bonus ball is part of the jackpot requirement itself: you must match it along with all five main numbers to win the jackpot.
Does matching only the bonus ball win anything?
In UK Lotto, no — matching only the bonus ball, or one main number plus the bonus ball, wins nothing. In Powerball, matching the Powerball alone wins $4, because the Powerball is a required number from its own pool, not a tiebreaker.
Why do lotteries use a bonus ball at all?
A bonus ball creates more prize tiers, gives near-miss players a bigger prize, and adds drama to the end of the draw. In two-pool games like Powerball, it also lets the lottery control the jackpot odds and the overall odds of winning a prize.
Conclusion
The lottery bonus ball is a small detail with a big effect. In UK Lotto, it is the difference between a modest Match 5 prize and a fixed £1,000,000. In Powerball and Mega Millions, it is the red or gold ball you must match to win the jackpot at all, with odds of around 1 in 292 million. In Lotto 6/49, New Zealand Lotto and SuperEnalotto, it decides the second prize or the even-numbered divisions. But in every game, the same limits apply: the bonus ball can never be substituted for a main number, it can never turn five matches into a jackpot in a single-pool game, and matching it alone usually wins nothing. Once you understand those rules, you will never be confused by the last ball of the draw again. You must be 18 or older to play in most places — and as always, play responsibly, with money you can afford to spend.
Sources: Mega number (Wikipedia); Lottery glossary (Lottery.net); Lotto Bonus Ball Guide (Dream Jackpot)