Powerball lottery to be available in the UK this summer, marking its first expansion outside the US

The Powerball lottery game will expand to the United Kingdom this summer, allowing players outside the U.S. to join the game for the first time.

A deal announced Tuesday between the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, and Allwyn UK, operator of the U.K. National Lottery, will open the game to players across England, Scotland, and other parts of the U.K. However, the agreement still needs approval from the U.K. gambling regulator.

The expansion will mark a significant milestone for Powerball, as it will be the first time a lottery outside the United States contributes to the game’s jackpot pool.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to make sure that we’re keeping Powerball culturally and commercially relevant,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and CEO of the Iowa Lottery. “And this really is the next natural progression in doing just that.”

Players in both the U.S. and the U.K. will compete for the same jackpot, with winnings paid in dollars for U.S. winners and in pounds for U.K. winners.

For U.S. players, the game will remain unchanged, including the $2 ticket price and the odds of winning the jackpot, which stand at 1 in 292.2 million. However, officials say the addition of U.K. players will increase ticket sales and allow jackpots to grow more quickly.

“Players consistently tell us in survey after survey that faster growing Powerball jackpots are what they’d like to see,” Strawn said. “Not surprisingly, the higher the jackpots grow, the more people play the game in a particular drawing. The more people play, the higher sales grow. The higher sales grow, the higher the jackpots get, the more people play.”

For U.K. players, the introduction of Powerball offers access to significantly larger jackpots than those currently available domestically or across Europe. The largest Powerball prize to date exceeded $2 billion, won in California in 2022. By comparison, EuroMillions awarded its largest U.K. prize of £195 million (about $265 million) in the same year.

“Our ambition is to bring more games, more innovation and more excitement to The UK National Lottery — and it doesn’t get more exciting than Powerball, with its transformative jackpots and life-changing contribution to good causes,” Allwyn UK Chief Executive Andria Vidler said in a statement.

While jackpots will be shared, advertised prize amounts may differ due to currency exchange rates and tax treatment. U.S. jackpots are promoted as pre-tax amounts, unlike in the U.K.

Payment structures will also vary. In the U.K., jackpots will be paid out over 30 years, while U.S. winners can choose between an annuity or a lump-sum cash payment, with most opting for the latter.

Although all players will compete for the same grand prize, lower-tier winnings will differ between countries.

Powerball is currently available in 45 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Players select five numbers from 1 to 69 and one “Powerball” number from 1 to 26, with drawings held three times a week.

More than 31 million people in the U.K. play at least one National Lottery game annually, according to officials. 

The agreement will not affect the operation of Mega Millions, the other major U.S. lottery.