National Lottery to Double Lotto Draw Chances and Bring Powerball to UK this Summer

_{Allwyn set to launch two draw entries. (Image: Timon Shcneider/Alamy)}

The National Lottery operator Allwyn has announced two major changes to its game lineup this summer: a structural overhaul of Lotto that will give players two draw entries for every £2 line purchased, and the first international launch of Powerball, the American jackpot game known for its nine-figure prizes.

Both changes are subject to final regulatory approval. If confirmed, they would represent the largest shift to the National Lottery's core product offering since Allwyn took over the licence from Camelot in February 2024.

The announcements come as Allwyn pursues an ambition to double weekly returns to Good Causes from the current £33 million to £60 million by 2034.

Lotto Changes: Two Entries, Same Price

From June, every £2 Lotto line will automatically enter players into two rounds per draw rather than one. Wednesday and Saturday draws will each run two separate prize rounds, with the same numbers used across both.

Allwyn says the change is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires each year, rising from around 140 to around 345.

The company has described the redesign as the biggest single change to Lotto since its launch in 1994, though it has not altered the ticket price or the number selection format.

Powerball's First International Outing

Later this summer, Powerball will launch in the UK, marking the first time the game has been offered outside the United States.

UK jackpot winners will receive their prizes as an annuity paid over 30 years rather than as a lump sum, a structure that differs from the standard US payout options but mirrors how some large lottery wins are handled internationally.

Allwyn projects that Powerball will generate approximately £1 billion in additional returns to Good Causes over its first five years in the UK.

No confirmed launch date has been given beyond 'later this summer'.

Gambling Commission Figures Reveal Lottery is Most Popular form of Gambling in Britain

The lottery is by far the most popular form of gambling in Britain, and the gap between it and everything else, including online casinos, is considerable. The most commonly reported activities in 2024 were the National Lottery at 31%, buying tickets for other charity lotteries at 16%, and scratchcards at 13%. 

Beyond those, the most popular gambling activities after lottery draws are betting at 12%, scratchcards at 12%, and online instant win games at 8%. The lottery's dominance also shapes how Britain looks online: the overall online gambling participation rate in the past four weeks was 38%, but that figure falls to 16% when lottery-only players are removed, meaning a large share of people who consider themselves online gamblers are, in practice, simply buying a Lotto ticket on their phone.

 One fifth of all respondents gambled exclusively via lottery draws in the past four weeks, and overall gambling participation across any activity stood at 48%. The data also shows that stripping out lottery players substantially changes who the typical British gambler is: overall, participation is highest among those aged 55 to 64, but when lottery-only players are excluded, the profile shifts to those aged 25 to 44.