The weather hasn't been the only thing turning up the heat this summer. While the UK has been enjoying one of its hottest summers in recent memory, The National Lottery has been on a hot streak of its own, creating millionaires, making millions of winners and delivering some of the biggest prize opportunities ever seen by UK players.

New Lotto Creates More Millionaires Than Ever Before

The summer of winning began on 10 June, when National Lottery operator Allwyn launched the new Lotto game format, ushering in more chances to win and more millionaire-making moments.

Just over two months on, the impact has been remarkable, with 56 players already becoming millionaires. Crucially, 32 of these new millionaires were made in Round 2 of the new two-round format, meaning they would not be £1m+ richer if not for the new version of the game.

The 56 new big-money winners compare with 35 millionaires created during the same period last year (June to August 2025), proving that the new format is now making more millionaires than ever before – transforming lives across the UK, as well as demonstrating the immediate appeal of the refreshed game.

One of the latest millionaire-making moments came just last week, when a family syndicate from Somerset scooped a £1m Lotto prize. Mark Jefferson, 54, his wife Naomi, 51, and their four adult children almost missed the news altogether, ignoring a series of 'check your account' emails from The National Lottery. It was only after receiving a phone call confirming the win that Mark finally began to believe the family had become millionaires. The emotional moment the Jefferson family listened back to the call confirming their win can be viewed here.

But the excitement didn't stop there.

Powerball Creates Almost 1m Winners Since Launch

In July, The National Lottery made history by becoming the first lottery outside the USA to launch Powerball, bringing one of the world's most iconic lottery games to the UK and offering players the chance to win uncapped jackpots that can soar into the billions.

UK players entered the game at a landmark moment. Powerball was in the midst of a dramatic 43-draw rollover run that culminated in a $1.04bn jackpot win in Illinois, showcasing the extraordinary prize levels that have made the game a global phenomenon.

The Powerball jackpot has now started growing again and currently sits at an estimated £49m for Thursday morning’s draw (27 August).

While the mega jackpots are quickly capturing the public imagination, the game has been delivering winning moments for players across the UK from day one. Since launching in the UK on 21 July, Powerball has already createdalmost 1m (997,038) winners across its prize tiers – with prizes on the game starting at £8 – and paid outover £13.8m million in prizes.

The game is also attracting new audiences to The National Lottery, with around 40,000 players trying National Lottery games for the first time through Powerball. More than 2.6m players have taken part in the new offering since launch, with over half returning to play multiple draws.

Andy Carter, Senior Winners' Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said,“With New Lotto delivering more winners than ever before and Powerball giving UK players access to one of the world's biggest rolling jackpot games, this summer has marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for The National Lottery, offering players more opportunities to win and more chances to dream big in the months ahead.

“And that’s not to mention the top prize winners made on our other National Lottery draw games. Since the beginning of June, we have also made five winners of £10k a month for 30 years on Set For Life and sixwinners of £500k on Thunderball.”

Each week, players help generate around £33m for National Lottery-funded projects. With over £53bn raised for Good Causes since launch, this funds hundreds of projects in every postcode area across the UK. From supporting the arts and sport sectors, to empowering local community groups and preserving iconic British landmarks, players' participation makes a difference every single day.