Powerball vs EuroMillions: how they compare for UK players

The two games side by side

The odds: per line and per pound

For the jackpot, EuroMillions is about twice as easy to win: 1 in 139,838,160 per line, against 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball. For any prize the two are close, at about 1 in 13, because each has a bottom tier for matching just two main numbers. The National Lottery quotes 1 in 14 for Powerball; its own tier odds work out at about 1 in 13.2.

The price makes a difference too. The same £20 buys five Powerball lines or eight EuroMillions lines. Five Powerball lines give a 1 in 58.4 million chance of the jackpot; eight EuroMillions lines, about 1 in 17.5 million. The tier-by-tier odds are in Powerball odds.

Jackpot size and the cap

EuroMillions jackpots start at €17 million and can't go above €250 million: at the cap the jackpot can roll over four more times, and if it still isn't won it rolls down to the next tier with a winner. The cap has been won three times, all in 2025, and the UK record is £195,707,000, won on 19 July 2022.

Powerball has no cap. In the UK a new jackpot starts at around £10–12 million and keeps rolling over until someone wins it, in the UK or the US. Its record is $2.04 billion, in 2022, and the biggest jackpot advertised in the UK so far is £542.9 million, in August 2026.

Comparing the headline figures needs care: a EuroMillions jackpot is the amount paid in one go, while a UK Powerball jackpot is the total expected over 30 years, after tax. The records are in the biggest Powerball jackpots.

How the jackpot is paid

• EuroMillions: one tax-free lump sum. The jackpot is set in euros and converted into pounds at the exchange rate on the day of the draw.
• Powerball: only over 30 years. The winner chooses a first payment of 1% or 2% of the jackpot prize fund, and the rest buys a 29-year annuity with payments that rise every year. It can't be cashed in, and if the winner dies, a lump sum goes to their estate.
• Tax: EuroMillions prizes are tax-free. For a Powerball jackpot the first payment isn't taxed, but the interest part of each annuity payment is; the advertised figure already allows for UK tax at the highest rate. Every other Powerball prize is tax-free.

A Powerball jackpot can be paid as a lump sum only in a few exceptional cases, and then it's less than the advertised figure. More in the Powerball jackpot.

Draw days and times

The two games never clash. EuroMillions is drawn in Paris on Tuesday and Friday evenings: sales close at 7.30pm, The National Lottery shows the draw at 8.45pm and full results follow from around 9.30pm. Powerball is drawn in Florida and reaches the UK in the early hours of Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, at 3.59am: sales close at 11.55pm the night before and the results are out from around 5am.

So on a Tuesday you can check Powerball over breakfast and EuroMillions in the evening. Powerball's timetable, including the 2.59am draws when the clocks change, is in Powerball draw time.

£1 million prizes and fixed prizes

Both games make UK millionaires below the jackpot, in different ways. Every EuroMillions line includes a UK Millionaire Maker code, and one code wins £1 million in every draw, whatever the numbers: The National Lottery puts the odds at about 1 in 4.27 million on a normal Tuesday and 1 in 6.04 million on a normal Friday. Powerball pays a fixed £1 million for matching all five main numbers without the Powerball, at odds of 1 in 11,688,054 per line; there can be several winners in a draw or none, and there were four in its first 46 UK draws.

Below that, Powerball has one more fixed prize, £8 for Match 2, and its other tiers share a percentage of UK sales. In EuroMillions every tier below the jackpot is shared, from an estimated £130,000 or so for 5 numbers and 1 Lucky Star down to about £2.50 for Match 2. Powerball's UK prize table is in Powerball prizes.

Where the money goes

On average 41.2% of Powerball sales in the UK is paid out in prizes, and over 30% of each £4 line goes to UK good causes, more per ticket than any other National Lottery game, according to The National Lottery. In EuroMillions about £1.10 of every £2.50, around 44%, comes back as prizes, and across all National Lottery games about 23p in every £1 goes to good causes. Both games pay 12% Lottery Duty, and in both the money for good causes stays in the UK.

What's shared differs too. Powerball shares only its jackpot with the US: UK prizes below it come from UK sales alone. EuroMillions has a common prize fund for all 13 tiers, shared with eight other European countries. How the good-cause money is spent is in Powerball and good causes.

Which one suits you?

• If you'd rather have a jackpot paid all at once: EuroMillions pays a tax-free lump sum; Powerball pays over 30 years.
• If you're after the biggest possible jackpot: Powerball has no cap and has reached $2.04 billion, but it's about twice as hard to win.
• If you want more chances for your money: EuroMillions costs less per line and its jackpot odds are better.
• If you like a guaranteed UK millionaire every draw: the UK Millionaire Maker comes with every EuroMillions line.
• If you prefer an evening draw: EuroMillions is drawn on Tuesday and Friday evenings; Powerball results arrive in the morning.
• Whichever you choose, set your budget first: playing both games means spending on both. Our tips and responsible gambling pages can help.

Frequently asked questions