Powerball Lottery Game Launches in UK, Offering Near Half-Billion Pound Jackpot
Players in Britain can now participate in the U.S.-based lottery, with jackpots starting at £12 million and a current estimated prize of £421 million.
The National Lottery's Powerball game, known for its massive jackpots, has officially launched in Britain, allowing U.K. players to compete for shared prizes with their U.S. counterparts. The game's introduction follows a recent rollover in the American Powerball, which has driven the estimated jackpot to approximately $567 million (£421 million).
Tickets for the U.K. version of Powerball became available for purchase at 5 a.m. local time. This marks the first time the lottery game, founded in the U.S. in 1992, has operated outside of American borders. Players in the U.K. will pay £4 per line for a chance to win uncapped jackpots that begin at £12 million and can escalate to hundreds of millions or even billions.
The gameplay involves selecting five white numbers from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. A win requires matching all six numbers. Unlike U.S. winners, who can opt for a lump-sum cash payout or an annuity, U.K. Powerball jackpot winners will receive their winnings spread over 30 years.
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Additional prize tiers specific to the U.K. have been introduced, including an extra 'match two main numbers' tier offering a fixed prize of £8. The 'match five main numbers' tier also provides a fixed prize of £1 million, while other prize tiers will have variable payouts based on the number of winners and balls drawn.
According to the operator, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. The game has historically produced large winners, including the world's largest-ever lottery prize of $2.04 billion (£1.5 billion) in 2022.
Tickets can be purchased online or in U.K. stores until 11:55 p.m. the night before each draw. Draws occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at approximately 4 a.m. the following morning in Florida.
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Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, has distributed 'Launch Boxes' to approximately 43,500 U.K. retailers, equipping them with play slips, guidance materials, and point-of-sale assets to support the new game. Retailers earn a commission of 20 pence for every £4 line sold.
US lottery officials anticipate that the expanded player base will contribute to faster jackpot growth and increased sales. This expansion follows a recent overhaul of the National Lottery's Lotto game in the U.K., which, since June 7, offers players two chances to win per £2 ticket and is expected to significantly increase the number of annual millionaires. The National Lottery also recently completed a £450 million technology upgrade.