Powerball Rolls Out to the UK – What the New Jackpot Really Means

On Monday night the Powerball drawing in the United States produced a jaw‑dropping $567 million annuity jackpot – the biggest that the game has ever offered without a winner. Two lucky tickets, one sold in Colorado and the other in Michigan, each matched five of the six numbers and walked away with $1 million. That draw also turned out to be the last time Powerball was sold exclusively to the 50 states and U.S. territories.

But the story didn’t end there. In a move that surprised many, the organisers announced that Powerball tickets will now be sold across the pond, in the United Kingdom. The partnership is with Allwyn UK, the company that runs the nation’s own lottery. From now on, a Briton can walk into a participating retailer or use an online portal and buy a Powerball ticket just like they would a Euromillions line.

There’s a twist, though. While American players can choose between taking the advertised $567 million annuity or a lump‑sum cash option (estimated at about $251.8 million), UK players will only have one choice: a 30‑year annuity. The advertised UK jackpot is £300 million – roughly $342 million at today’s rates – and that figure is already presented as the after‑tax amount the winner would receive over the three‑decade payout period.

Why the difference? It’s mostly a matter of tax and currency conversion. In the United States the headline figure is pre‑tax; the actual net amount a winner walks away with depends on the state’s lottery tax rates. For example, a winner in a state with no lottery tax would end up with about $358.5 million after taxes, whereas someone in New York – the state with the highest lottery tax – would see that number dip to roughly $296.7 million. The UK figure sidesteps all that by showing the post‑tax total up front.

The last time a Powerball winner in the U.S. took the annuity was a Virginia player who opted for a $162.6 million payout back in 2023. That precedent shows the long‑term nature of the prize, and it’s exactly the same structure the UK will now adopt.

Fans eager to try their luck don’t have to wait long. The next draw is slated for 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday – that’s 3:59 a.m. Thursday in the UK. Whether you’re buying a ticket in Oklahoma or London, the odds stay the same, but the way the money lands in your pocket will be quite different.