Starting Tuesday, a new chapter in global lottery history will begin, as Powerball ticket sales launch across the United Kingdom for the very first time. This groundbreaking expansion means that lottery players across the Atlantic will now get a shot at the same enormous multi-million-dollar jackpots that American players have chased for decades — and they will face the same famously slim odds of taking home the top prize. The expansion, first unveiled back in April, is the result of a landmark partnership between the U.S.-based Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, and U.K. lottery operator Allwyn UK. This milestone marks the first occasion that a lottery operating outside the United States will add to the cumulative Powerball jackpot, breaking new ground for one of America’s most well-known gambling games. For U.K. participants, the partnership opens the door to compete for far larger jackpots than any currently offered by domestic or European lotteries. The first Powerball drawing to include U.K.-purchased tickets will take place on Wednesday night, putting the new cross-border arrangement to its first test. To put the size of Powerball jackpots in context, the largest payout in the game’s history hit just over $2 billion — equivalent to roughly 1.5 billion pounds — won by a single ticket holder in California back in 2022. By comparison, the continent’s top pan-European lottery EuroMillions, which is also operated in the U.K. by Allwyn, has only awarded a maximum of 250 million euros (around $285 million) across three winning tickets held by players from France, Ireland and Austria over the full course of 2025. The chances of matching all numbers to claim the Powerball jackpot remain extraordinarily low, at just 1 in 292.2 million. Lottery officials have confirmed that these odds do not change for U.K. players, remaining identical to those that U.S. participants face when they buy a ticket. American lottery leaders say the expansion to the U.K. will deliver clear benefits to the game overall: a larger, global player base will allow jackpots to grow at a much faster pace, which in turn is expected to boost overall ticket sales as more participants are lured by the prospect of ever-larger grand prizes. There are a number of key differences between how Powerball works in the U.K. versus the United States, however. A single Powerball ticket is priced at $2 globally, but any tickets bought in the United Kingdom will only contribute to the game’s main jackpot, rather than the pool for lower-tier prizes. U.K. players will operate under an entirely separate structure for smaller secondary prizes. Additionally, advertised estimated jackpot amounts will differ between the two countries. This gap comes from two key factors: currency exchange rate fluctuations, and the fact that the U.S. publishes pre-tax jackpot figures to players, while the U.K. advertises final after-tax amounts. Another structural difference is in how jackpots are paid out. U.K. Powerball jackpot winners will receive their payout in annual installments spread over 30 years. In the U.S., by contrast, winners can choose between the 30-year annuity structure or an immediate one-time lump-sum cash payment — a choice that the vast majority of American jackpot winners opt for. Currently, Powerball is offered to players across 45 U.S. states, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The rules of the game itself will not change with the U.K. expansion: players still select five white ball numbers from a range of 1 to 69, plus one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. Regular draw schedules also remain unchanged, with drawings held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.