UK National Lottery to Join US Powerball Jackpot Pool This Summer

UK National Lottery operator Allwyn UK has reached an agreement with the Multi-State Lottery Association for the Powerball jackpot to be made available to players in the UK as well as the US from this summer.

Powerball is played in 45 US states, combining 48 jurisdictions, with the UK lottery becoming the 49th to be added to the game. This is the first time a lottery outside the US will be able to take part.

The combined US and UK lotteries will pool funds only for the Powerball jackpot, and not for lower-tier prizes. Players choose five white ball numbers from 1–69 and one red Powerball number from 1–26, with tickets costing $2.

Next steps

No exact date for when the UK National Lottery will join the Powerball jackpot has been announced, but a rough timeline of this summer was confirmed. This is subject to approval from British regulator the Gambling Commission. Tickets purchased in the UK will contribute the same fixed US dollar amount per play to the jackpot pool as tickets purchased in the US, but players in the UK will have a different lower-tier prize structure and payouts.

Andria Vidler, CEO of Allwyn UK, said:

“We’re delighted to be joining the Powerball community. Our ambition is to bring more games, more innovation and more excitement to the UK National Lottery – and it doesn’t get more exciting than Powerball, with its transformative jackpots and life-changing contribution to good causes.”

Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said: “This partnership expands the player base in a way that benefits every jurisdiction participating in Powerball. This is a win for Powerball players – as more people play, the faster jackpots grow, all while keeping odds the same for every Powerball drawing, wherever a player buys their $2 ticket.

“For decades, Powerball proceeds have provided real benefits to Americans, year after year. This will not change. This summer's expansion to the UK helps secure the game’s future as a dependable source of funding for the public programs and services our players care about.”

Changing times

This is one of the most significant developments for the National Lottery since it was taken over by Allwyn from Camelot in February 2024. Camelot had operated the National Lottery since its inception in 1994.

In January, Allwyn announced a major upgrade to the National Lottery’s digital platforms, allowing Allwyn to offer the largest ever range of National Lottery games. Allwyn said the upgrade is part of its £400 million+ investment in upgrading the National Lottery, with the update including an extended range of games and improved player protection tools.

Financial issues

However, Allwyn is reportedly on course to spend around £500 million in an attempt to overhaul the National Lottery’s IT systems, which is double what it had planned to spend on the project when taking over the running of the lottery.

This followed reports last June which suggested Allwyn was under intense pressure from the Gambling Commission following delays to plans to modernise the lottery, including improvements to its 43,500 terminals. A major systems update took place in the summer, when the National Lottery’s website went down for 34 hours.

According to The Telegraph, the National Lottery has projected revenue of £84 billion across the 10-year association with Allwyn, which would be some way off an initial projection of £152 billion.