Allwyn Doubles UK Lotto Draws as £2 Line Plays Twice
Allwyn will introduce what it calls the biggest-ever change to Lotto on 10 June, giving National Lottery players two chances to win from each £2 line. Tickets for the updated format go on sale from 7 June, with the first draw scheduled for Wednesday 10 June.
Under the new structure, every Lotto line automatically enters two separate rounds in each Wednesday and Saturday draw. Players still choose six numbers from 59, but two sets of six main balls and a Bonus Ball will now be drawn using separate machines, meaning a single line can win in Round 1, Round 2, or both.
Prize odds improve from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9 as a result. Allwyn also expects the number of Lotto millionaires to more than double, from around 140 per year to approximately 345.
On jackpots, the rules stay largely the same. Jackpots still start at £2 million, roll over up to five times, and trigger a must-be-won draw on the sixth consecutive draw. The jackpot will be shared across both rounds, while all other prize tiers remain fixed cash prizes paid per round.
Two routes to a £1 million-plus prize also remain: matching six main numbers for the jackpot, or matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball for a fixed £1 million prize. Players still win for matching two or more main numbers. The Lotto HotPicks add-on moves to the same two-round format and stays priced at £1.
Beyond Lotto, Allwyn confirmed a second major product for later this summer. In partnership with the Multi-State Lottery Association, it will launch a UK-specific version of Powerball, priced at £4 per line. UK players will join US players in draws for a shared jackpot, with UK winners paid over 30 years. Allwyn said the game is expected to deliver around £1 billion more to UK Good Causes over its first five years, with over 30% of the ticket price returned to Good Causes.
CEO Andria Vidler framed both launches as part of a longer-term plan, citing Allwyn’s goal of doubling weekly Good Causes returns from £30 million to £60 million by 2034.
💡TGJ Take
Allwyn is using Lotto and Powerball to push higher participation and higher Good Causes returns across the board. For lottery suppliers, this signals a UK market where format design and prize structure now matter as much as brand recognition. The Powerball addition is the bolder bet. If UK players accept a shared jackpot with a 30-year payout, Allwyn will have a useful test case for adapting US-style lottery mechanics to a European market.
