Powerball jackpots could grow faster for Southern Maryland players now that ticket sales have launched across the Atlantic, after the United Kingdom became the first country outside the United States to contribute to the game’s prize pool this week.
UK players began buying Powerball tickets Tuesday, July 21, through Allwyn UK, the operator of Britain’s National Lottery, with their first shot at the jackpot coming in Wednesday night’s drawing. The addition brings the number of lotteries pooling money for the Powerball jackpot to 49, and officials say the larger player base should help jackpots climb more quickly — a change that could mean bigger, more frequent headline-grabbing prizes reaching Maryland retailers, including the Charles County convenience stores and Calvert and St. Mary’s county markets that have produced past winners.
The expansion stems from an agreement announced in April between the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball on behalf of participating U.S. jurisdictions, and Allwyn UK. Rebecca Paul, president and chief executive of the Tennessee Lottery and a former World Lottery Association president, said the move brings the game closer to a milestone moment for the industry. Allwyn UK Chief Executive Andria Vidler said the expansion gives National Lottery players in Britain a chance to compete for far larger prizes while continuing to fund charitable projects in the UK.
For Maryland, where the lottery has become a significant source of state revenue, the change is notable mainly for what it does not alter. Ticket price, format and odds remain the same for U.S. players: five white balls drawn from a field of 1 to 69, plus a red Powerball number from 1 to 26, with odds of winning any prize at 1 in 24.9 and jackpot odds unchanged at 1 in 292.2 million. Lottery officials emphasized that UK ticket sales will contribute only to the jackpot itself, not to lower-tier prizes, and that UK players will operate under a separate payout structure for smaller wins.
That distinction matters for Southern Maryland players because it means the odds and prize structure they already know will not shift, even as jackpots are expected to swell faster than in past years. Maryland has a track record of significant Powerball activity: the state has produced winners ranging from a $731.1 million jackpot claimed in January 2021 to a string of smaller regional prizes, including a $150,010 win split between two Charles County co-workers who bought their ticket in Marbury during last September’s run toward a $1.7 billion jackpot, and a $150,012 prize claimed by an Accokeek man after a purchase at Keller’s Market on Livingston Road.
Money generated through Powerball sales in Maryland flows into the state’s General Fund rather than a dedicated lottery-only account, supporting education, public health and safety programs statewide. In fiscal year 2025, the Maryland Lottery contributed $667.2 million in profit to state coffers, including $519.2 million to the General Fund — money that helps underwrite schools and public services in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, according to state gaming revenue reports. Retailers that sell winning or high-volume tickets also benefit directly: Maryland stores earn a 6% sales commission plus a 1% bonus on prizes over $600, a structure that has funneled thousands of dollars into small Southern Maryland businesses tied to big wins.
Powerball has generated more than $38 billion for the public programs its member lotteries support since 1992, according to game officials, with more than half of every $2 ticket’s proceeds staying in the jurisdiction where it was purchased. Officials reiterated this week that the international expansion will not change that local-benefit structure for American ticket buyers.
The UK launch drew heavy promotion from Allwyn, including a marketing campaign built around an estimated £300 million jackpot — roughly $404 million — offered in the National Lottery’s first Powerball drawing open to British players. The first UK Powerball ticket was sold shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday at a shop in Pocklington, in North Yorkshire. Powerball’s record jackpot, just over $2 billion, was won on a ticket sold in California in November 2022.
Whether the UK’s participation immediately accelerates jackpot growth remains to be seen; jackpot size is driven largely by how many consecutive drawings pass without a winner, not solely by the size of the player pool. But with the UK’s population of roughly 68 million now eligible to buy tickets, officials expect sales — and interest — to climb heading into the fall, when Maryland’s biggest jackpot runs have historically driven local ticket sales and retailer traffic in Southern Maryland.
Powerball drawings continue Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, broadcast from the game’s draw studio in Florida.
