Tickets for the world's biggest jackpot game Powerball have gone on sale in the UK for the first time. The National Lottery's Powerball allows UK players to pay £4 per line to compete with their US counterparts for shared jackpots that can reach billions, paid out over 30 years.
First Tickets Sold
Operator Allwyn confirmed tickets went on sale for Thursday's draw, currently set at £300 million. The first UK Powerball ticket sold in a shop was at Sewell On The Go in Pocklington, York just after 5am on Tuesday. The first online ticket was purchased on The National Lottery app by a player in Brighton at 5.54am.
Draw Details and Odds
Players have until 11.55pm on Wednesday to buy a ticket for the draw at around 4am UK time on Thursday. Draws will occur three times a week from the Powerball studio in Florida. This is the first time the game, which produced a record-breaking $2.04 billion jackpot in 2022, has operated outside the US, offering UK players uncapped jackpots starting at £12 million.
The UK game includes an extra "match two main numbers" prize tier exclusive to UK players, offering a fixed £8 prize. The "match five main numbers" tier offers a fixed £1 million, while other UK prize tiers vary based on balls drawn and number of winners. Overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 14, while jackpot odds are approximately 1 in 292 million, according to Allwyn.
Expert Comment
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."
Recent National Lottery Changes
Powerball follows the biggest overhaul of the draw-based Lotto game since its 1994 launch, giving players two chances to win for every £2 ticket. The change, rolled out from June 7, is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 to about 345 per year. It also follows a £450 million major tech upgrade, moving 18 million player records and over three billion historical transactions to new platforms, and transforming retail partner technology.
Sales and Good Causes
Latest Allwyn figures show total National Lottery sales, including shop-bought tickets, reached £8.1 billion in 2025, up 3.5% from the previous year. Over £1.7 billion was generated for good causes, funding health, education, arts, sports heritage, and charitable causes, while £967 million was raised in taxes.
