UK Government Opens Consultation on Third-Party Powerball Betting Ban

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Altay Celikkaya

Content Manager

Updated: 24/09/26

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The UK government has opened a consultation on whether licensed gambling operators should be prohibited from offering bets on the outcome of Powerball draws. According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s consultation, consumers can buy an official National Lottery Powerball entry or place a bet on the same US draw through a third-party betting operator.

Ministers believe this creates a risk of customer confusion and could reduce the money returned to National Lottery good causes. The six-week consultation opened on 23 September and will close at 23:59 on 4 November 2026.

UK government consultation on restricting third party Powerball betting in Great Britain

Regulation & Compliance

Key Takeaways from the UK Powerball Betting Consultation

The government is consulting on a prohibition rather than introducing an immediate ban.
The proposed condition would cover general betting, pool betting and betting intermediary operating licences.
Operators could continue offering bets on lotteries that are not connected to the National Lottery, including the Irish Lotto.
Ministers are seeking evidence about consumer awareness, business costs and the potential effect on good-cause funding.
Any final restriction would require a new mandatory condition attached to relevant Gambling Commission licences.

Powerball Creates a Gap in Existing Betting Rules

Section 95 of the Gambling Act 2005 prohibits licensed betting operators from accepting bets on the outcome of a lottery forming part of the National Lottery. That restriction already applies to games including Lotto, Thunderball and the UK version of EuroMillions.

Powerball presents a different legal structure. Although Allwyn now offers a UK National Lottery version, its results are determined by the underlying US draw. Because that US lottery is not itself part of the National Lottery, existing legislation does not automatically prevent licensed operators from offering bets on its outcome.

The government proposes using powers under Section 78 of the Gambling Act to introduce a targeted licence condition. It would apply to operators serving consumers in Great Britain without extending to unrelated international lottery betting products.

Government Focuses on Confusion and Good-Cause Returns

DCMS argues that customers may not always understand the difference between buying an official Powerball entry and betting on the draw through another operator. Third-party products can use the same numbers and headline jackpots while sometimes being offered below the price of an official ticket.

National Lottery products generate funding for arts, heritage, sport and community projects. The government says around 23% of National Lottery sales supports good causes, while betting operators offering lottery-result wagers have no equivalent contribution requirement.

Gambling Minister Vicky Foxcroft said:

The government therefore proposes to prohibit licensed operators in Great Britain from offering third party bets on the National Lottery’s Powerball game draws.

The consultation asks operators to provide information about Powerball-derived gross gambling yield, compliance costs and measures already used to distinguish betting products from official lottery participation.

Allwyn Launch Adds Commercial Context

Allwyn introduced Powerball to the UK on 21 July following approval from the Gambling Commission. The launch forms part of Allwyn’s UK National Lottery transformation, which has included technology migration and changes to the operator’s product portfolio.

The company expects Powerball to generate an additional £1bn for good causes over five years. However, the government acknowledges that current evidence is insufficient to establish how many third-party betting customers would switch to official National Lottery participation following a ban.

That uncertainty is important in Great Britain’s £17.5bn gambling market, where remote betting remains a significant source of operator revenue and tax receipts.

Consultation Continues Wider UK Regulatory Activity

The Powerball review follows a separate UK consultation on unlicensed gambling sponsorship, adding to the government’s examination of how licensed and unlicensed betting products reach British consumers.

For operators, the task is to assess exposure, document existing customer disclosures and calculate potential product-removal costs. No restriction will take effect until the government reviews responses and ultimately decides whether to proceed with secondary legislation.