One lucky Brit could win £1BILLION mega jackpot as National Lottery announces two new games
The National Lottery is set to launch a new £1 billion mega jackpot game in a major shake up of its UK prize offering.
Operator Allwyn will introduce the Powerball game format later this year, allowing players the chance to win a huge jackpot starting from £12 million and growing to as much as £1 billion or more.
Powerball is the world’s biggest jackpot game and this will be the first time it has been played outside the US, with draws taking place every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Players will have to pay £4 per line to compete with their US counterparts for a chance to win the shared jackpot, which will be paid out over 30 years to UK winners.
The game operates much like any other Lotto format – players pick five main numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. There is also the option to choose a lucky dip for randomly selected numbers.
If someone is able to match all five main numbers as well as the Powerball, they will win the jackpot, which starts at around £12 million.
But, if there is no winner, the jackpot will roll over to the next draw and could reach £1 billion or more. There is also a £1 million prize for matching five main numbers, while matching just two will see players scoop £8.
It comes as the National Lottery makes the biggest overhaul to its draw-based game since launch in 1994, with players being given two chances to win for every £2 ticket.
The National Lottery is launching a new mega jackpot game in the UK after striking a deal to join America’s Powerball
UK players are being given the chance to win a huge jackpot starting from £12 million and growing to as much as £1 billion or more. Pictured: A sign for Powerball’s £1.7bn jackpot from December 24, last year
The change will be rolled out from June 7 and is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires – from around 140 a year to about 345.
The first two-round draw will take place on Wednesday June 10, with Lotto draws continuing to take place at around 8pm every Saturday and Wednesday.
The lottery firm recently completed a £450 million major tech upgrade, 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.
Allwyn chief executive Andria Vidler said: ‘We are delivering on our promise to bring more games, more entertainment and more innovation to The National Lottery.
‘With extensive upgrades to our digital and retail channels now complete, we have a fantastic summer lined up, as we are now able to bring these exciting new games to our players.’
She added: ‘By offering a wide range of complementary games, we’re ensuring there is something for everyone – returning the magic, building our player base and making sure The National Lottery remains part of the national conversation.’
The group said the new games will boost returns for good causes, with the new Powerball draw set to see over 30 per cent of ticket prices going to good causes, meaning it will deliver around £1 billion extra over the first five years.
‘This will raise more money for good causes, helping us reach our goal of doubling weekly returns to good causes from £30 million to £60 million by 2034, with £33 million a week currently raised’, Ms Vidler said.
