National Lottery unveils new Powerball game and biggest change to main draw

The National Lottery has revealed it is to give players two chances to win in its main draw for the first time and offer a new mega jackpot game after striking a deal to join America’s Powerball.

Operator Allwyn is set to unveil the first new game in the National Lottery’s history later this summer, with the launch of the UK specific version of the world’s biggest jackpot game, Powerball.

It will see UK players pay £4 per line to compete with their US counterparts to win the shared jackpot of over £1 billion, which will be paid out over 30 years to UK winners.

Allwyn has reached agreement with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) in the US to bring Powerball to the UK although an exact launch date is yet to be set as it waits for final regulatory approval.

It comes as the National Lottery also makes the biggest overhaul to its draw-based Lotto game since launch in 1994, with players being given two chances to win for every £2 ticket.

The change will be rolled out from June 7 and is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires – from around 140 a year to about 345.

The first two-round draw will take place on Wednesday June 10, with Lotto draws continuing to take place at around 8pm every Saturday and Wednesday.

It follows the recent completion of a £450 million major tech upgrade to the lottery, which involved moving 18 million player records and more than three billion historical transactions from old platforms to new ones, and transforming the technology used by retail partners.

Allwyn chief executive 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.”

She added: “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.”

The group said the new games will boost returns for good causes, with the new Powerball draw set to see over 30% of ticket prices going to good causes, meaning it will deliver around £1 billion extra over the first five years.

“This will raise more money for good causes, helping us reach our goal of doubling weekly returns to good causes from £30 million to £60 million by 2034, with £33 million a week currently raised”, Ms Vidler said.

Allwyn said recently that total National Lottery sales, including lottery tickets bought in shops, came in at £8.1 billion in 2025, up 3.5% on the previous year.

More than £1.7 billion was generated for good causes – which incorporates funding for health, education, arts, sports heritage and charitable causes – and £967 million was raised in taxes.