Powerball expands to the U.K. Could Tennessee jackpots grow even faster?
See which states are the luckiest in the lottery
USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes shares which states have claimed the most Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots wins.
- Powerball is expanding to allow players in the United Kingdom to buy tickets for the first time.
- The expansion is expected to make jackpots grow faster due to an increased number of players.
- The game’s rules, cost, and odds will remain the same for players in the United States.
Powerball is expanding its reach by allowing British lottery players to buy tickets for the first time in the game’s history.
The expansion, facilitated by a partnership between the Multi-State Lottery Association and Allwyn UK, which operates the U.K. National Lottery, will take effect starting with the drawing on July 25. This represents the first occasion where a non-U.S. lottery has added to the Powerball jackpot, a strategy that officials claim will accelerate the growth of jackpots as ticket sales increase.
For American players, however, the game itself is staying the same. Tickets will still cost $2, drawings will continue every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and the odds of winning the jackpot remain 1 in 292.2 million. What changes is the size of the player base, which officials say should help jackpots build more quickly between drawings.
Here are the changes coming to Powerball this week.
Why are Powerball jackpots expected to grow faster?
Each Powerball ticket sold in the United Kingdom adds the same amount to the shared jackpot as a ticket sold in the United States, even though U.K. tickets cost more. With more tickets being sold overall, the jackpot is expected to increase at a faster pace when there is no grand prize winner.
The addition of the United Kingdom brings the number of lotteries contributing to the Powerball jackpot to 49. Officials emphasized that more than half of every ticket sold in the United States will continue to remain in the jurisdiction where it was purchased, supporting programs such as education, scholarships, veteran services and parks and recreation.
How is playing Powerball different in the United Kingdom?
While British players will compete for the same jackpot, there are a few key differences.
Powerball tickets in the United Kingdom cost 4 pounds (roughly $5.33), compared with $2 in the United States. U.K. tickets contribute only to the shared jackpot, while lower-tier prizes are paid through a separate U.K. prize structure.
Unlike American jackpot winners, who can choose between a lump-sum cash payment or a 30-year annuity, U.K. winners will receive their prize through annual payments over 30 years administered by the U.K. National Lottery.
How many people have won Powerball in Tennessee?
Tennessee is no stranger to having its residents win the Powerball. According to Powerball’s website list of jackpot winners, which only goes back to 2012, there have been five winners in Tennessee between 2014 and 2019.
The largest and most recent win happened in January 2016, when three residents in California, Florida, and Tennessee won the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot, valued at $1.586 billion.
Do you have to be identified if you win the Powerball jackpot in Tennessee?
Short answer: yes. Here’s why.
According to the Tennessee Education Lottery Implementation Law, the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation releases the names, home states, and hometowns of all winners upon request.
The Tennessee lottery also posts winners on its website. Check it out here.
Does Tennessee tax lottery winnings?
Thankfully, for those playing the lottery in Tennessee, you won’t have to worry about state taxes. As Tennessee does not have a state income tax, it is among eight states that do not impose secondary state taxes on lottery winnings. However, you will still have to go through the federal withholdings that are usually applied to lottery winnings.
What happens if you gift a winning lottery ticket?
Unfortunately, if you decide to gift someone a winning lottery ticket, it’s theirs, even though you bought it. While it would be kind of them to gift you some of the money, they are not required to do so, as once something is gifted, the recipient becomes the sole owner.
However, keep in mind that if the winner chooses to gift part of their winnings to the person who gave them the ticket, it may be subject to additional taxes.
The gift tax applies to any amount over $19,000 that is given in a single year. If a lottery winner decides to share their winnings, they will be responsible for paying this tax. As a result, they could end up losing more money than just the amount they are giving away, which could discourage winners from gifting.
Top 10 highest Powerball jackpots
While the current Powerball jackpot is not among the top ten, there is still a significant amount of money to be won.
- $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – California
- $1.817 Billion – Dec. 24, 2025 – Arkansas
- $1.787 Billion – Sept. 6, 2025 – Texas
- $1.765 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023 – California
- $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – California, Florida, Tennessee
- $1.326 Billion – April 6, 2024 – Oregon
- $1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – California
- $842.4 Million – January 1, 2024 – Michigan
- $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – Wisconsin
- $758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – Massachusetts
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This content is sourced from www.commercialappeal.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
