Powerball Xs & Os Debuts Tonight: What the NFL Logos Actually Mean
A new national lottery game holds its first drawing tonight, September 13, and it looks more like a football pick sheet than a traditional playslip.
Powerball Xs & Os asks players to select eight NFL team logos from all 32 teams. Match all eight logos randomly drawn Sunday night and the ticket wins a rolling cash jackpot that starts at $1 million.
The football theme is real. The football forecasting is not. Game results have nothing to do with which teams win, lose, score, or even play that week. That distinction is the most important thing to understand before the inaugural drawing at 10 p.m. ET.
Eight logos replace eight numbers
Each Powerball Xs & Os play costs $5. Players choose eight different NFL team logos or let the terminal make a Quick Pick. The drawing then randomly selects eight winning logos from the same field of 32.
Five prize levels are available:
- Match all 8: rolling jackpot, starting at $1 million
- Match 7: $20,000
- Match 6: $500
- Match 5: $40
- Match 4: $7
The official jackpot odds are 1 in 10,518,300. The overall chance of winning any prize is about 1 in 12.16, with the $7 Match 4 tier doing most of the work behind that figure. A $7 win on a $5 ticket is still only a $2 gain before considering any other purchases.
LuckMaker covers 98 games across 25 U.S. states and 9 international markets. Compare ticket costs, schedules, prize ladders, and published odds at /games. Check the LuckMaker Score at luckmaker3000.com/games, our proprietary 0–100 game rating, before deciding whether a new format belongs in your regular rotation.
Your favorite team has no hidden advantage
Choosing the Chiefs, Cowboys, Eagles, or any other team does not improve a ticket because of the roster, schedule, betting line, or Sunday result. Every eight-logo combination has the same chance in a fair drawing.
There are exactly 10,518,300 possible groups of eight teams from a field of 32, which explains the published jackpot odds. The logos make the selection process more visual, but underneath the branding this remains a random combination game.
That also means a Quick Pick is neither stronger nor weaker than a hand-selected lineup. If you like the convenience of random choices, LuckMaker's Lucky Number Generator can create unbiased selections for supported number games. It does not predict outcomes, and Powerball Xs & Os requires a participating lottery's own logo-selection system.
This is not the regular Powerball drawing
Despite the shared Powerball name, Xs & Os is a separate game. It has a different $5 ticket, a different Sunday-only drawing, different odds, and a cash jackpot rather than the familiar Powerball annuity headline.
The launch spans 23 states plus Washington, D.C., according to the Maryland Lottery. Sales began September 8, giving the first tickets five days before tonight's debut. Local cutoff times and claim rules vary, so players should follow the lottery that sold the ticket.
After the drawing, check the eight official logos carefully and review LuckMaker's latest lottery results. Save the purchase jurisdiction, drawing date, eight selected teams, ticket image, and retailer in Ticket Vault. Keep the original paper ticket secure because a digital copy does not replace the ticket required for validation.
Powerball also offers a promotional program for eligible winning and nonwinning Xs & Os tickets. Players can enter tickets at PowerballOfficial.com for points used in separate NFL-themed prize drawings. That promotion is not the same as winning the weekly cash drawing, and deadlines and eligibility rules still apply.
A $1 million cash jackpot needs an after-tax plan
The opening jackpot is advertised as a $1 million cash prize. If multiple tickets match all eight logos, the jackpot is divided among the winners. Taxes can reduce each winner's spendable amount further.
LuckMaker's Lottery Tax Calculator can provide an initial estimate for U.S. winnings, but it is not individualized tax advice. A large-prize claimant should confirm the rules in the selling jurisdiction and consult qualified professionals before making major commitments.
Tonight's first drawing gives lottery players something genuinely new: NFL logos in place of numbered balls and one national draw every Sunday. The familiar rules still matter, though. Read the full prize ladder, know the 1-in-10,518,300 jackpot odds, store the ticket in Ticket Vault, and remember that fandom changes the fun—not the probability.