Where to buy Powerball tickets in the UK

Online: The National Lottery website and app

The official way to play online is at national-lottery.co.uk or in The National Lottery app. You'll need an account, you must be 18 or over and a UK or Isle of Man resident, and you have to be physically in the UK or the Isle of Man when you buy. The National Lottery treats you as resident if you've been there for more than 183 days in the previous 12 months, and checks your identity electronically when you sign up.

Your entries are stored in your account, so there's no paper ticket to lose; prizes up to £500 are paid straight into it and you're told when you've won. You can play up to four weeks ahead, set spend limits and take time out, and the app can scan tickets bought in shops too. Powerball can't be played by Direct Debit yet.

In a National Lottery shop

Powerball is sold over the counter by National Lottery retailers across the UK and the Isle of Man: around 43,500 shops were stocked for the launch. Fill in a Powerball play slip or ask for a Lucky Dip, choose the draws and the number of weeks, and pay at the till. You don't need an account, and anyone aged 18 or over who is in the UK or the Isle of Man can buy.

Small prizes are paid on the spot: retailers pay up to £100, and some up to £500. The catch is that the ticket is your only proof of entry, so write your name and address on the back and keep it safe. Sales close at 11.55pm, but shops keep their own hours. Everything printed on the ticket is explained in the Powerball ticket.

The two official options compared

Visiting the UK, or travelling abroad

Visitors can't play online, even while they're in the UK, because online play is only for residents. They can buy a ticket in a shop like anyone else, but Allwyn can't pay or send prizes overseas, so any prize has to be claimed back in the UK.

UK residents travelling abroad can't buy Powerball while they're away: you have to be in the UK or the Isle of Man to log in to your account, and Allwyn won't pay prizes on entries bought from outside. Entries bought before you left are still valid, and you have 180 days from each draw to claim.

If you win the jackpot and aren't resident in the UK or the Isle of Man on the day you claim, you receive a lump sum instead of 30 years of payments, and it's lower than the advertised jackpot: see the Powerball jackpot in the UK.

Can you buy a US Powerball ticket from the UK?

Not from here. Powerball is sold only by the lotteries of 45 US states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and, since July 2026, by The National Lottery. The US lotteries that sell online only sell to people who are physically in their own state, and MUSL, which runs the game, warns that internet and postal sales across borders are restricted and that lotteries may refuse to pay prizes on tickets bought on any website other than their own.

On holiday in the US, you can buy a ticket in person from an authorised retailer, as long as you're the legal age in that state (18 in most, up to 21 in a few); you don't need to be a US citizen or resident. It's then an American ticket: it plays for US prizes, it's claimed from that state's lottery under its own deadlines and taxes (non-residents usually have 30% federal tax withheld), and Allwyn won't pay anything on it. The differences between the two games are in Powerball in the UK and the US.

A ticket or a bet? Know the difference

Betting companies such as Lottofy, where our Play buttons take you, offer bets on the result of the US Powerball draw. It isn't a National Lottery ticket: you bet on which numbers will come up in the same draw, with a company licensed by the Gambling Commission, and any winnings are paid by that company under its own terms, following the US prize table. The money doesn't go to National Lottery good causes. These bets are legal in Great Britain, because the ban on betting on National Lottery games doesn't reach a draw held in the US.

In September 2026 the government consulted on whether to stop these bets, as it did for bets on overseas EuroMillions draws in 2018; the consultation closed on 4 November 2026 and its outcome is still to come. Whichever way you play, check what you're paying for: the UK game's price and prizes are in Powerball in the UK and the US.

Unofficial resellers and couriers

Some websites offer to buy Powerball tickets in the US on your behalf, or sell entries through agent or courier models. They aren't The National Lottery, Allwyn won't pay prizes on them, and the US lotteries restrict internet sales across their borders. Winnings may not be guaranteed by the official lotteries, and tax and withdrawal processes can be unclear.

Wherever you play, never pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue to 'release' a prize: that's always a scam. The warning signs are in how to avoid Powerball scams.

What you get when you play in the UK

• Tax-free prizes below the jackpot, paid in pounds; the jackpot itself is advertised after tax.
• Fixed prizes of £8 and £1 million for Match 2 and Match 5, alongside the shared jackpot.
• 180 days to claim, with every prize paid by Allwyn.
• Over 30% of every £4 line for UK good causes: see Powerball and good causes.
• Tools to stay in control: spend limits and time-outs in your National Lottery account. GAMSTOP doesn't cover National Lottery draw games such as Powerball, so if you need a break, self-exclude in your account; see playing responsibly.

Frequently asked questions