World’s biggest lottery game set to launch in UK this month – with £1bn jackpots
Feeling lucky? British lotto players will be able to play in the world’s biggest jackpot game, Powerball, this month.
National Lottery operator Allwyn said British players would compete alongside their US counterparts for the joint jackpot of more than £1bn paid out over three decades.
Tickets for the match will be available from 21 July, priced at £4 per line, pending final regulatory approval. British players could be in contention for the huge sum in the opening draw on July 23 if the current Powerball jackpot, estimated at US$416 million (£311 million), holds through to the UK launch.
This marks the first time Powerball has operated outside the United States, bringing unlimited jackpots to players in the UK.
Prizes will start from £12 million and have the potential to reach hundreds of millions or even billions. Exclusive to the UK, an additional ‘match two main numbers’ prize tier offers a flat payout of £8. The ‘match five main numbers’ tier also guarantees a fixed prize of £1 million, while other prize tiers in the UK will fluctuate depending on draw results and the number of winners.
Powerball follows the National Lottery’s biggest overhaul of its draw-based Lotto game since its launch in 1994, giving players two chances to win for every £2 ticket. The change, which comes into effect from June 7, is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 to 345 a year.
It follows the recent completion of a major £450 million technology upgrade for the lottery, which involved moving 18 million player registrations and more than three billion historical transactions from old platforms to new ones and transforming the technology used by its retail partners.
Latest figures from Allwyn show total National Lottery sales, including lottery tickets bought in stores, will reach £8.1bn in 2025, up 3.5% on the previous year.
More than £1.7bn was raised for good causes, including health, education, arts, sports heritage and charitable causes, and £967m was raised in taxes.
Andria Vidler, managing director of Allwyn, said: “We’re excited to give National Lottery players the chance to dream bigger while supporting thousands of good cause projects every week across the UK.
“Powerball jackpots can run into the billions and offer breathtaking sums that have the potential to transform lives and communities.
“As we start counting down to the first draw at the end of this month, you won’t be able to miss the arrival of Powerball, which is ready for a big launch.
“We encourage players to enter when tickets go on sale and will keep our fingers crossed for our first UK winner.”
