The UK lottery is also making the biggest ever change to its flagship game as it aims to create hundreds more millionaires and offer the world’s biggest jackpots
Allwyn has announced transformative changes for the UK National Lottery’s flagship Lotto game, alongside plans to launch a UK-specific version of the world’s biggest lottery jackpot game, Powerball.
The two new major game formats will be implemented this summer and are described by Allwyn as “once-in-a-generation” changes.
Subject to final regulatory approval, the Lotto game will feature a new two-round format every Wednesday and Saturday draw, with the first draw slated for Wednesday June 10. 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.
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.
Allwyn said the new Lotto format will be the perfect complement to the new UK-specific version of Powerball, which marks the first time the game will be made available outside the United States.
This will see UK players participate alongside their US counterparts for a chance to win shared mega jackpots of more than £1 billion, which will be paid out over 30 years to UK jackpot winners.
The game is expected to deliver around £1 billion more to UK Good Causes over the first five years after laumch, with over 30 per cent of the ticket price returned to UK Good Causes.
“We are delivering on our promise to bring more games, more entertainment and more innovation to The National Lottery,” said Allwyn CEO Andria Vidler (pictured above), who was recognised in the Gaming Intelligence Hot 50 of 2024. “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.”
Vidler 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.
“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.”
Founded in 1992, Powerball is the world’s biggest rolling jackpot game, with an uncapped jackpot starting at £12 million and transformational prizes on offer. In addition to awarding its biggest ever winner of over $2.04 billion in 2022, Powerball has generated an estimated $38 billion for good causes over the past 34 years.
The UK launch of Powerball is through a partnership with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a non-profit association owned and operated by its member lotteries.
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, giving players a chance to win the shared jackpot by matching five main numbers plus the Powerball.
The UK game features an extra ‘Match 2 main numbers’ prize tier that offers a fixed prize of £8, while the ‘Match 5 main numbers’ tier also offers a fixed prize of £1 million.
Powerball tickets will go on sale to UK players later this summer, with the exact date to be confirmed nearer the time. 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 taking place at around 4am the next morning – on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday – from the Powerball studio in Florida.