Powerball hits the UK with a £311m jackpot: how to play
Powerball is launching in the UK this week, giving National Lottery players a shot at a shared jackpot currently estimated at £311 million. Tickets cost £4 a line via operator Allwyn, with sales opening Tuesday ahead of Thursday's first draw. Pick five numbers from 1–69 plus one Powerball from 1–26.
Key Takeaways
- UK players join US counterparts for uncapped Powerball jackpots starting at £12 million.
- Lines cost £4; match five main numbers for a fixed £1 million, or two for an exclusive UK £8 prize.
- Buy online or in store until 11.55pm the night before draws on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
- Jackpot odds are about 1 in 292 million; the current pot is estimated at $544m (£311m).
The National Lottery version of the world's biggest rolling jackpot game lets Brits compete for the same mega prizes as American players. According to The Independent, Allwyn confirmed tickets go on sale this week before the opening Florida draw.
It is one of the biggest National Lottery launches in years — and ripe for the kind of head-turning headlines we track in Bizarre News & Florida Man, not least because the draws themselves happen at the Powerball studio in Florida.
How do you play Powerball in the UK?
Choose five white balls from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball from 1 to 26, or take a Lucky Dip. Each line costs £4 and can be bought online or at National Lottery retailers.
To scoop the jackpot you must match all six numbers. Jackpots are uncapped and start at £12 million. UK winners of the shared jackpot are paid over 30 years.
Only UK players get an extra "match two main numbers" tier with a fixed £8 prize. Match five main numbers and you win a fixed £1 million. Other tiers vary with the draw and how many winners share each band.
What is the current Powerball jackpot?
The pot is estimated at $544 million (£311 million), with a cash-value lump sum of about $241.6 million — lower because the advertised jackpot assumes 30 years of investment growth.
Powerball set the record for the world's biggest lottery win in 2022 at $2.04 billion (£1.5bn). Allwyn says the game is expected to raise around £1 billion for UK Good Causes in its first five years from UK ticket sales.
When are the Powerball draws held?
Sales close at 11.55pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Draws follow around 4am the next morning — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays — from Florida.
Allwyn is backing the debut with a nationwide "What Would You Do With Powerball Money?" campaign across TV, outdoor and social, framing the launch as a chance at truly transformational prizes.
What are the odds of winning Powerball?
Operator figures put the jackpot odds at roughly 1 in 292 million. Lower tiers are far more common, but the top prize remains a long shot — even when the headline number hits hundreds of millions.
Still, for £4 a line, UK players can now chase the same rolling Powerball jackpots that have stunned the US for more than three decades.