For the first time ever, Powerball tickets will be available for purchase across the Atlantic Ocean — UK residents can begin buying them starting Tuesday, giving them a shot at the same enormous jackpot that players across the United States already chase.
The expansion was first announced in April through a partnership between the Multi-State Lottery Association in the U.S. and Allwyn UK. It represents a historic milestone: never before has a lottery outside the United States contributed to the Powerball jackpot. The move is expected to give UK players access to far larger prize pools than what is currently offered through lotteries in the country and across Europe.
Wednesday night’s scheduled drawing will be the first in Powerball history that UK players are eligible to enter.
To put the potential winnings in perspective, the largest Powerball payout on record was just over $2 billion — roughly 1.5 billion pounds — from a ticket purchased in California in 2022. By comparison, EuroMillions, a lottery available across nine European countries and also operated in the UK by Allwyn, paid out its maximum prize of 250 million euros (around $285 million) to winners from France, Ireland, and Austria at various points throughout 2025.
The chances of hitting the Powerball jackpot remain extraordinarily slim at 1 in 292.2 million — and lottery officials confirm those same odds will apply equally to both American and British players.
U.S. lottery officials believe the larger combined player base will cause jackpots to grow at a faster pace, which in turn is expected to attract even more players as prize totals climb higher.
In the United States, a Powerball ticket costs $2.
There is an important distinction for UK players: their ticket purchases will count only toward the main Powerball jackpot and not toward any lower-tier prizes. UK players will have their own separate prize structure for smaller winnings.
The advertised jackpot amounts will also look different depending on which country you’re in, due to currency exchange rates and the fact that U.S. prize amounts are listed before taxes, while UK amounts are not.
Another key difference involves how jackpots are paid out. In the UK, Powerball jackpot winners will receive their prize spread over 30 years. In the U.S., winners can choose between that same annuity-style payout or a lump-sum cash option — and nearly every American winner chooses the cash.
Powerball is currently available in 45 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Players select five white-ball numbers ranging from 1 to 69, plus one red Powerball number between 1 and 26. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
