For the first time outside the US, the world's biggest lottery game is arriving in Britain this week. The National Lottery's Powerball – a game that can produce jackpots of over £1bn – will go on sale from Tuesday, offering UK players the chance to compete with their American counterparts for shared prizes that are paid out over 30 years.
If the current jackpot, estimated at $416m (£311m), continues to roll until the UK launch, British players will be in with a shot at winning it in the opening draw on Thursday. The game features uncapped jackpots starting at £12m, with no ceiling on how high they can soar.
“UK Powerball launches Tuesday with uncapped jackpots, first time outside US.”
UK players will pay £4 per line and get an exclusive prize tier not available in the US: a fixed £8 for matching two main numbers. The 'match five main numbers' tier also offers a fixed £1m, while other prize amounts will vary depending on the balls drawn and the number of winners.
Andria Vidler, chief executive of Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, said: 'Powerball jackpots can soar into the billions, offering breathtaking sums with the potential to transform lives and communities. We're encouraging players to get involved when tickets go on sale, and we'll be crossing our fingers for our first UK winner.'
The launch follows the biggest overhaul to the draw-based Lotto game since its launch in 1994. From June 7, players get two chances to win for every £2 ticket – a change expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires, from around 140 a year to about 345.
It also comes after a £450m tech upgrade that moved 18 million player records and more than three billion historical transactions from old platforms to new ones, and transformed the technology used by retail partners.
Latest figures from Allwyn show total National Lottery sales, including tickets bought in shops, reached £8.1bn in 2025 – up 3.5% on the previous year. More than £1.7bn was generated for good causes, funding health, education, arts, sports, heritage and charitable projects, and £967m was raised in taxes.