Powerball ticket sales begin Tuesday in the United Kingdom : NPR

Starting Tuesday, Powerball tickets will be available for purchase in the United Kingdom, allowing players there to vie for the same enormous jackpot as their counterparts in the United States—albeit with the same slim chances of winning.

This expansion, announced in April through a deal between the Multi-State Lottery Association in the U.S. and Allwyn UK, is the first instance of a non-U.S. lottery contributing to the Powerball jackpot. It will offer U.K. participants the opportunity to compete for jackpots significantly larger than those typically seen in the U.K. and Europe.

The upcoming drawing on Wednesday night will mark the first occasion U.K. residents can participate in the Powerball lottery.

The highest Powerball jackpot to date was slightly over $2 billion, or about 1.5 billion pounds, from a ticket purchased in California in 2022. EuroMillions, which is available in nine European countries and run in the U.K. by Allwyn, awarded a maximum of 250 million euros (approximately $285 million) to winners from France, Ireland, and Austria in 2025.

The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot stand at a daunting 1 in 292.2 million, a figure that remains consistent for both U.S. and U.K. entrants, according to lottery officials.

Officials in the U.S. lottery sector anticipate that the inclusion of U.K. players will enable Powerball jackpots to increase more rapidly, likely boosting ticket sales as more individuals are attracted to the larger top prizes.

Powerball tickets are priced at $2 each.

In the U.K., ticket purchases will contribute solely to the Powerball jackpot, not the lower-tier prizes. U.K. players will have a distinct lower-tier prize structure.

Jackpot estimates will differ between the U.S. and U.K. due to currency exchange rates and the fact that U.S. prize amounts are advertised before taxes, unlike in the U.K.

In the U.K., Powerball jackpots will be paid out over a span of 30 years, whereas in the U.S., winners have the option to receive their prize either as an annuity spread over several years or as a lump sum cash payment, with most opting for the latter.

Powerball is operational in 45 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In this lottery game, participants pick five white-ball numbers ranging from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. Drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.