Powerball aims to expand to UK players for faster-growing jackpots
Powerball in the UK, too? Players would still have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all 6 numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion.
Will a $2 Powerball ticket make someone in the UK a millionaire?
As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
Two weeks after Powerball officials announced a potential change in the longtime lottery game, the Wednesday, April 29, Powerball drawing resulted in a big win. A pair of tickets from Indiana and Kansas matched all five numbers plus the Powerball to win the $143 million jackpot, according to the Florida Lottery. The game also saw 89 secondary winners earning prizes for $2 million and $1 million from 20 states. None in Florida, however.
In recent history, the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot from July 19, 2023, resulted in not only a grand prize winning ticket from Los Angeles, California, but 36 second-tier wins, including five from Florida.
But back to expanding Powerball’s footprint, internationally, in the UK.
Earlier this month, Powerball officials announced an agreement with the Multi-State Lottery Association and Allwyn UK, the government-authorized operator of the UK National Lottery.
Pending final approval from the UK Gambling Commission, Powerball is expanding across the pond.
An April 14 news release on Powerball’s site explains this marks the first time a non-U.S. lottery would contribute to the Powerball jackpot and players in the UK interested in their shot for a multimillion- or billion-dollar Powerball jackpot could try their luck later this summer.
At $2 a play, the price for a base Powerball ticket won’t change, officials say, nor will the odds of winning a big jackpot, even if it crosses the $1 billion mark.
Here’s what we know.
What is Powerball? What are the odds of winning Powerball?
Powerball is one of two big lottery games in the U.S., with drawings three times a week, offering players a chance to win jackpots ranging from $20 million to the record $2.04 billion.
Players choose five white ball numbers from 1-69 and one red Powerball number from 1-26, either manually or via a Quick Pick ticket option.
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot — whether it’s $20 million or $2.04 billion, the highest lottery prize in U.S. history — are 1 in 292.2 million.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live at 10:59 p.m. ET every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Florida.
Tickets start at $2 with extras available to purchase such as the Power Play.
The other major lottery game in the U.S. is Mega Millions, which saw an increase in ticket price from $2 to $5 in April 2025. Extras such as the Megaplier are included in the cost. Mega Millions drawings are twice a week with starting jackpots at $50 million ranging to the record-setting windfall of $1.58 billion.
Who can play Powerball lottery game?
Tickets for Powerball, established in 1992, are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Multi-State Lottery Association, or MUSL for short, represents 39 U.S. lotteries.
The potential addition of the UK National Lottery, through MUSL and Allwyn UK, bumps Powerball ticket availability in 49 areas, and UK players would contribute to the grand prize.
“With the addition of UK players, the Powerball jackpot is expected to grow more quickly due to a larger population base playing the game, without altering core features that U.S. players value, including the $2 ticket price and jackpot odds,” the news release on Powerball.com states.
“As more people play, the faster jackpots grow, all while keeping odds the same for every Powerball drawing, wherever a player buys their $2 ticket,” Matt Strawn, Powerball product group chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said in the release.
Andria Vidler, CEO of Allwyn UK, says on Powerball’s site “our ambition is to bring more games, more innovation and more excitement to the UK National Lottery – and it doesn’t get more exciting than Powerball, with its transformative jackpots and life-changing contribution to good causes.”
Players ages 18 and older are eligible.
Would Powerball ticket prices increase? Will Powerball prizes change?
According to Powerball leaders, tickets for the lottery game would remain at $2 even with the addition of UK players.
What’s more, a $2 ticket could still make someone a multimillionaire winner with a secondary match, such as 5 out of 5 numbers or usage of the Power Play option.
One difference would be the prize amount of the second-tier wins in the U.S. vs. UK: The news release on Powerball online explains lotteries in the U.S. and the UK National Lottery would “pool funds for the Powerball jackpot, not lower-tier prizes. Tickets purchased in the UK will contribute the same fixed U.S. dollar amount per play to the jackpot pool as tickets purchased in the United States, though UK players will have a different lower-tier prize structure and payouts.”
When can UK players buy tickets for Powerball lottery?
Pending approval from the UK regulator, the Gambling Commission, the UK National Lottery would participate in its first Powerball drawing in summer 2026.
What are the biggest Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots ever won?
As of April 30, 2026, there have been 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
- $2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.82 billion Powerball prize, Dec. 24, 2025, won by an anonymous player in Arkansas
- $1.79 billion Powerball prize, Sept. 6, 2025, won by an anonymous player in St. Louis, Missouri, and Seven Bridges Revocable Trust in Fredericksburg, Texas
- $1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California, who represented a group of winners there
- $1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.269 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of California
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This content is sourced from www.palmbeachpost.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
