Why a UK Powerball jackpot winner can’t take the cash
If a player in the UK hits the Powerball jackpot, there’s no lump sum on offer: the prize arrives in 30 yearly payments. Here’s how it works, and why the pound figure on the screen looks so much smaller than the dollar one.
When a ticket in New Jersey won the $847 million Powerball jackpot on 4 November, the winner was offered a choice: the full amount over 29 years, or $363.1 million in cash straight away. A UK winner of the same jackpot wouldn’t get that choice.
No cash option, by design
The rule comes straight from the game’s organisers. Powerball’s official FAQ says UK jackpot winners won’t get a one-off cash payment; instead, The National Lottery pays the jackpot out over 30 years. Allwyn, which runs The National Lottery, says the same.
That makes Powerball the odd one out among UK draw games. EuroMillions and Lotto jackpots are paid as a single, tax-free lump sum.
Why the pound jackpot looks smaller
On the same night, the UK and US screens show very different numbers for the same jackpot. They aren’t measuring the same thing:
| US jackpot | UK jackpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | Dollars | Pounds |
| Tax | Before tax | After UK tax, calculated at the highest rate |
| What it shows | The annuity total, with a smaller cash option alongside | The estimated total paid over 30 years |
Allwyn’s own launch material says the two figures are not directly comparable, and that the UK number is what most winners would actually receive over the 30 years.
How the 30-year payments work
Tax. According to The National Lottery, the first payment isn’t taxable, but the investment income earned on the yearly payments is. That tax is already built in: the advertised UK jackpot is what the winner actually receives after it. Allwyn adds that in rare cases, for example a winner who isn’t UK tax resident, extra tax may apply because the prize money comes from the US.
If the winner dies. The payments don’t stop: whatever is left goes to the winner’s estate.
If the jackpot is shared. UK and US players compete for the same prize. If a UK ticket shares the jackpot with a US ticket, the UK winner’s share of the jackpot’s cash value is transferred to The National Lottery, which then pays it out over 30 years.
What stays the same
The 30-year rule only affects the jackpot. A UK Powerball line costs £4, the jackpot starts at £12 million with no cap, and the odds of winning it are the same as in the US: 1 in 292,201,338.
Matching the five main numbers pays a fixed £1 million, the game’s biggest non-jackpot prize. The first UK player to win it did so in the draw of Tuesday 1 September (Monday 31 August in the US). As with every National Lottery game, you have 180 days to claim.
Powerball should always be played for fun: set a budget, only spend what you can afford and remember you must be 18 or over to play. Free, confidential help is available 24/7 from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.