The hugely popular US lottery format of Powerball has landed in the UK as National Lottery operator Allwyn gets long-held plans in motion.
Launching Powerball in the UK forms part of Allwyn UK’s strategy to revamp and expand the National Lottery with the end goal of doubling weekly returns to good causes by 2034.
The first retail ticket was sold at the Sewell on the Go shop in Pocklington, Yorkshire, just after 5am on Tuesday 21 July. The first online ticket was bought on the National Lottery app by a Brighton player at 5:54am.
The first Powerball draw will take place on Thursday 23 July. The cut-off to buy tickets to enter the draw is 11:55pm Wednesday 22 July.
In the US, Powerball essentially functions as a ‘National Lottery’ with the prize draw being multi-state, while other lottery games are operated by state lotteries. The game’s biggest selling point is its huge jackpot potential.
The UK version will see a £4 Powerball ticket enter players into an estimated £300m jackpot.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at Allwyn, said: “I’ve seen first-hand how a big win can transform lives. But when people start imagining jackpots in the hundreds of millions of pounds, the conversation changes.
“People move beyond buying a bigger house or taking a dream holiday and start thinking about making a difference, whether that’s supporting loved ones, helping their local community, backing a cause they care about or turning a lifelong dream into reality.
“Powerball Money brings a whole new level of possibility to UK players. It’s a chance to win the biggest jackpot ever offered through The National Lottery and to dream bigger than ever before.”
Allwyn’s UK Powerball play
The Powerball UK launch marks the first time the product has been made available outside the US. The launch has been enabled via a deal between Allwyn and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which operates the jackpot in 48 US states.
Jackpots start at £12m and are uncapped, meaning they can grow into the hundreds of millions – as is the potential case with the first draw this week – and in exceptional circumstances prizes can exceed £1bn.
The US Powerball has produced seven prizes in excess of $1bn since its 1988 inception.
The UK Powerball will also include exclusive prize tiers. Matching two main numbers will win a fixed £8 prize, available only to UK players, while matching five main numbers will return a guaranteed £1m.
As mentioned above, the UK Powerball launch forms part of a wider strategy of National Lottery revitalisation initiated by Allwyn after the multinational lottery company’s UK division took charge of the lottery in February 2024.
The firm has also initiated a huge upgrade of National Lottery retail terminals.
Although this was not conducted entirely on time according to its contract with the Gambling Commission, leading to some action from the regulator, and was met with some initial negative feedback from some retailers, the integration has since gone smoothly.
Allwyn has also now cleared a number of legal hurdles:
- A lawsuit against its victory in the 2022 National Lottery licence contest by former licence holder Camelot, the sole operator since the lottery’s creation in 2023, was dropped when Allwyn acquired the Watford-based company in 2023.
- IGT, now known as Brightstar Lottery, also mounted a legal challenge against Allwyn’s 2022 victory. The Court of Appeal ruled against the firm’s claims for damages in 2023, and it dropped its subsequent appeal in 2024.
- The third and final legal hurdle was cleared earlier this year when Richard Desmond, a UK media mogul who had also put in a bid to operate the lottery during the fourth licence contest, had his claim rejected by the High Court.
With all legal hurdles aside, Allwyn is now able to press ahead with its lottery modernisation plans free of distractions. The company has set its target of doubling returns to good causes from £30m a week to £60m by the time its licence ends in 2034.