National Lottery unveils major draw change with new £1 billion game

Players will also be offered the chance to win twice with every £2 ticket

The National Lottery has revealed it will be making major changes to its draws, including offering a new mega jackpot totalling £1 billion.

Operator Allwyn has announced it will 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. By paying £4 per line, players will be able to to compete with US players to win a shared jackpot, totalling over £1 billion, that will be paid out over the next 30 years.

This new game comes as the National Lottery also makes its biggest overhaul to its draw-based game since its launch in 1994. From June 7, players will be offered two chances to win for every £2 ticket.

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The change is expected to 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.

On the changes, 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 added that 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. This is expected to deliver around £1 billion extra over the first five years.

Ms Vidler added: “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.”

The changes come after the lottery firm recently completed a £450 million major tech upgrade, 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.