Powerball is expanding to the United Kingdom, marking the first time a non-U.S. lottery will contribute to its jackpot. This move aims to accelerate jackpot growth and offer significantly larger prizes to U.K. players, while U.S. players will see no changes to ticket cost or odds.
Powerball is making a historic move by expanding its reach to the United Kingdom, marking the first instance a lottery outside the United States will contribute to its jackpot. This expansion is a strategic effort to maintain Powerball's cultural and commercial relevance, according to Matt Strawn, head of Powerball and CEO of the Iowa Lottery. The same jackpot amount will be available to players on both sides of the Atlantic, with U.S. payouts in dollars and U.K. payouts in pounds. For U.S. players, nothing changes, including the $2 ticket cost and the 1 in 292.2 million odds of winning. However, the inclusion of U.K. players will create a larger player pool, leading to faster-growing jackpots – a key desire expressed by players in surveys. U.K. players will gain access to much larger jackpots than those currently offered by lotteries in the U.K. and Europe. For context, the largest Powerball payout was over $2 billion in 2022, while the biggest EuroMillions prize to a U.K. player was £195 million ($265 million) in the same year. Allwyn UK Chief Executive Andria Vidler expressed enthusiasm for bringing Powerball's "transformative jackpots" to The UK National Lottery. While jackpots will be the same, estimated amounts will differ due to currency conversion rates and the U.S. advertising pre-tax prizes. U.K. Powerball jackpots will be paid over 30 years, unlike the U.S. where winners can choose between an annuity or a lump-sum cash option (most opt for cash). Smaller prizes will also vary between the two countries. Powerball is currently played in 45 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. This new agreement does not affect the operation of Mega Millions.
