National Lottery operator, Allwyn, has announced two major game formats coming this summer: the biggest-ever change to Lotto, and the launch of a UK-specific version of Powerball, which has never been played outside the US before.
From 7 June, every £2 Lotto line will give players two chances to win – all for the same price and with the same number of balls to choose from, with a new two-round format every draw. The change improves players’ chances of winning any prize from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9 and is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 a year to around 345.
The first draw will take place on Wednesday 10 June. The Lotto draws will continue to take place at around 8pm every Saturday and Wednesday. The new two-round structure will see two sets of six main balls and a Bonus Ball drawn using two separate draw machines. This means a player could win in Round 1, Round 2, or both rounds, all from a single Lotto line.
As with the current format, Lotto jackpots will begin at £2m and can roll over up to five times before a must-be-won event on the sixth consecutive draw. Players will still win a prize when they match two or more main numbers. And there are two ways to become a millionaire on the game – through a guaranteed £1m-plus jackpot for matching six main numbers, and a £1m fixed prize for anyone matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball.
The jackpot will be shared across both rounds, while all other prize tiers will continue to offer fixed cash prizes, paid per round. In addition, the Lotto HotPicks add-on game will also move to the new two-round format, and will continue to be priced at £1.
Powerball will be the UK’s first £1bn+ mega-jackpot game and is launching in the UK in partnership with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – a non-profit association owned and operated by its member lotteries. It will see UK players playing alongside their US counterparts for a chance to win the mega, shared jackpot – which will be paid out over 30 years to UK jackpot winners. The game is expected to deliver around £1bn more to UK Good Causes over the first five years, with over 30% of the ticket price returned to UK Good Causes.
Founded in 1992, Powerball is the world’s biggest rolling jackpot game, with an uncapped jackpot starting at £12m and “transformational” prizes on offer. In addition to making its biggest-ever winner of over $2.04bn in 2022, over the past 34 years, Powerball has generated an estimated $38bn for good causes.
With 48 US-based lotteries already participating in Powerball, Allwyn will be launching a tailored version of the game for UK players. Priced at £4 per line, this will see them playing for a chance to win the shared jackpot, paid out over 30 years for UK winners, by matching five main numbers plus the Powerball.
The UK game features an extra ‘Match 2 main numbers’ prize tier, which is only available to UK players and offers a fixed prize of £8. The ‘Match 5 main numbers’ tier also offers a fixed prize of £1m, while all other UK prize tiers offer generous estimated prizes – which vary depending on the balls drawn and the number of winners in each tier.
Powerball tickets will go on sale to UK players later this summer, with the exact date to be confirmed nearer the time. UK Powerball players will pick five main numbers ranging from numbers from 1 to 69, and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Or they can choose a Lucky Dip. Tickets will be available to buy online or in store by 11.55pm the night before the draws (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays), with the draws then happening around 4am the next morning – on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday – from the Powerball studio in Florida.
Allwyn CEO, Andria Vidler, said: “We are delivering on our promise to bring more games, more entertainment and more innovation to The National Lottery. With extensive upgrades to our digital and retail channels now complete, we have a fantastic summer lined up, as we are now able to bring these exciting new games to our players.
“Lotto has always been the best game to play if you want to become a millionaire. Our new Lotto gives players two chances of winning £1m-plus for the same £2 they spend on each Lotto line today, creating hundreds more millionaires every year. And with its transformative jackpots, which will be paid to UK winners over time, we’re certain that our UK-specific version of the iconic Powerball game will really capture the UK public’s imagination.
“By offering a wide range of complementary games, we’re ensuring there is something for everyone – returning the magic, building our player base and making sure The National Lottery remains part of the national conversation. In turn, this will raise more money for Good Causes, helping us reach our goal of doubling weekly returns to Good Causes from £30m to £60m by 2034, with £33m a week currently raised.”
