National Lottery's largest ever jackpot game Powerball launches in Britain TODAY with £300million up for grabs

The National Lottery's largest ever jackpot game launched in Britain today following a rollover in America last night which saw the prize money hit £300million.Powerball will see UK players pay £4 per line to compete with their US counterparts to win shared jackpots that can balloon into the billions, paid out over 30 years.The jackpot has now grown to an estimated £300million after the latest rollover, meaning Brits have the chance to win it in the opening draw on Thursday.While US jackpot winners can choose between taking the money in cash or spread over years through an annuity, UK Powerball jackpots will only be paid over 30 years.National Lottery operator Allwyn gave Brits the chance to buy into the game from 5am this morning, marking the first time the game has operated outside of the US.Founded in the US in 1992, Powerball will offer UK players uncapped jackpots starting at £12million, which can grow into the hundreds of millions and even billions.Players select five white numbers from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. Players must get all six numbers to win the jackpot, which grows until it is won.The UK game launching today features an extra 'match two main numbers' prize tier, which is only available to UK players and offers a fixed prize of £8. The UK version of the world’s biggest jackpot game Powerball launched at 5am this morning Allwyn said it had sent 43,500 UK retailers a 'Launch Box' containing all the materials needed The 'match five main numbers' tier also offers a fixed prize of £1 million while all other UK prize tiers will vary depending on the balls drawn and the number of winners.The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292million, according to the operator. There are also a series of other prize tiers, for which the odds vary. When can you buy a Powerball ticket - and when are the draws? Tickets for Powerball will be available to buy online or in UK stores until 11.55pm the night before the draws, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.Draws then take place at around 4am the following morning – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays – at the Powerball studio in Florida. Allwyn chief executive Andria Vidler said: 'We're excited to give National Lottery players the chance to dream bigger while supporting thousands of good cause projects across the UK every week.'Powerball jackpots can soar into the billions, offering breathtaking sums with the potential to transform lives and communities.'We're encouraging players to get involved when tickets go on sale and we'll be crossing our fingers for our first UK winner.'The expansion was first announced in April through an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association in America and Allwyn UK.US lottery officials believe the expanded player base will allow Powerball jackpots to grow faster and increase sales as more people are drawn to biggest prizes.Allwyn said it had sent 43,500 UK retailers a 'Launch Box' containing all the materials needed to help players and stores prepare for the game. People wait to buy lottery tickets in California last September when the jackpot hit $1.4billion Joe Chahayed, a business owner in Altadena, California, got a $1million bonus after his store sold the Powerball ticket that created the biggest-ever lottery winner of $2.04billion, in 2022Each box includes new play slips for Powerball, refreshed guidance materials and in-store point-of-sale assets. Player-facing 'How To Play' leaflets are also included.Allwyn teams are also making visits to shops to ensure systems are ready and to guide them through the changes. Retailers earn 20p commission per £4 line sold.Powerball created the world's biggest-ever lottery winner of $2.04billion (£1.5bn) in 2022. Edwin Castro bought his ticket at Joe's Service Center in Altadena, California.The UK launch of Powerball follows the National Lottery making the biggest overhaul to its draw-based Lotto game since its launch in 1994, with players being given two chances to win for every £2 ticket.The change, which was rolled out from June 7, is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires – from around 140 a year to about 345.It also follows the recent completion of a £450 million major tech upgrade to the lottery, 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.Latest figures from Allwyn show total National Lottery sales, including lottery tickets bought in shops, came in at £8.1billion in 2025, up 3.5 per cent on the previous year.More than £1.7billion was generated for good causes, which incorporates funding for health, education, arts, sports heritage and charitable causes, and £967million was raised in taxes.