US Powerball Lottery Opens up to UK Players with £300m Record Jackpot

UK players can now participate in the Powerball lottery jackpot with their US counterparts, following an agreement that was reached earlier this year between UK National Lottery operator Allwyn UK and the Multi-State Lottery Association.

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 in the US and £4 in the UK.

A record jackpot

The agreement between the two lottery organisations was announced in April. No exact launch date was confirmed at the time, but Allwyn UK has now made the option to enter Powerball available through the National Lottery app and in retailers across the UK.

Players can wager on a Powerball line to be in with a chance of winning a £300 million jackpot, which is the biggest jackpot ever offered to UK players.

The first UK Powerball ticket was sold in a shop called Sewell On The Go in Pocklington, York at just after 5am on Tuesday. The first online ticket was purchased on the National Lottery app by a player based in Brighton at 5:54 am.

Players have the chance to enter for the jackpot until 11:55 pm on Wednesday, with the first draw taking place at 4am UK time on Thursday 23 July. Going forward, all draws will be taking place at that time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from the Powerball studio in Florida.

Allwyn has launched a tailored version of the game for UK players. The jackpot would be paid to UK players across 30 years, and the UK game features an additional 'Match 2 main numbers' prize tier, available only to UK players, which offers a fixed prize of £8.

The ‘Match 5’ main numbers’ tier also comes with a fixed prize of £1 million, while the other prize tiers offer estimated prizes, which vary depending on the numbers drawn and number of winners.

A standout moment

The launch of the pooled jackpot with US players 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. Allwyn has been keen to make its mark on the National Lottery.

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.

Previous 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 regulator the Gambling Commission following delays to plans to modernise the lottery, including improvements to its 43,500 terminals.