THE ESSENTIALS
What time is the lottery draw? Every UK draw and cut-off time
Lotto is drawn at 8pm, EuroMillions at 8:45pm and Thunderball at 8pm or 8:15pm. Ticket cut-off times, results times and every draw day in one place.
The short answer
Lotto is drawn at 8pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. EuroMillions is drawn at 8:45pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. Thunderball is drawn at 8pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 8:15pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
For all three, buy your ticket before 7:30pm to play that night. The National Lottery publishes the full results from around 9:30pm.
Want a live countdown instead? Our next draws page shows how long is left until every draw, plus the latest jackpot estimates.
Draw times for every game
| Game | Draw days | Draw time | Buy by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotto | Wednesday and Saturday | 8pm | 7:30pm |
| EuroMillions | Tuesday and Friday | 8:45pm | 7:30pm |
| Thunderball | Tuesday and Friday | 8pm | 7:30pm |
| Thunderball | Wednesday and Saturday | 8:15pm | 7:30pm |
| Lotto HotPicks | Wednesday and Saturday | 8pm (uses the Lotto draw) | 7:30pm |
| EuroMillions HotPicks | Tuesday and Friday | 8:45pm (uses the EuroMillions draw) | 7:30pm |
| Irish Lotto | Monday, Wednesday and Saturday | 7:55pm | See below |
| Powerball | Monday, Wednesday and Saturday (US) | Just before 4am UK time the next morning | 11:55pm the night before |
Your lottery week at a glance
If you play more than one game, it helps to see the week laid out by day. This covers every game on LotteryToday.
| Day | What’s drawn (UK time) |
|---|---|
| Monday | Irish Lotto at 7:55pm. Powerball tickets close at 11:55pm. |
| Tuesday | Powerball result from around 5am. Thunderball at 8pm. EuroMillions at 8:45pm. |
| Wednesday | Irish Lotto at 7:55pm. Lotto at 8pm. Thunderball at 8:15pm. Powerball tickets close at 11:55pm. |
| Thursday | Powerball result from around 5am. |
| Friday | Thunderball at 8pm. EuroMillions at 8:45pm. |
| Saturday | Irish Lotto at 7:55pm. Lotto at 8pm. Thunderball at 8:15pm. Powerball tickets close at 11:55pm. |
| Sunday | Powerball result from around 5am. |
Saturday is the busiest night, with Lotto, Thunderball and Irish Lotto all drawn within 20 minutes of each other. Wednesday is the same.
What time do lottery tickets stop selling?
For Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and both HotPicks games, the cut-off is 7:30pm on the day of the draw. You can buy tickets online every day, but if you buy after 7:30pm on a draw day, your ticket won’t be in that night’s draw.
Bought a ticket in a shop close to the cut-off? Check the draw date printed on it. That date is the draw it’s entered into, and it’s the date to check your numbers against.
Powerball is different. Because the draw happens overnight in the US, UK sales stay open until 11:55pm on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
What time are the results out?
- Lotto, EuroMillions and Thunderball draws are shown first on the National Lottery website at their draw times.
- The National Lottery publishes the full results, including the prize breakdown, from around 9:30pm on draw nights.
- Powerball results are published from around 5am on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and you can watch the draw from around 6am.
- Our results pages for Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball, Irish Lotto and Powerball update automatically once the official results are out.
Got a ticket to check? Our guide to checking your ticket walks you through it, including both Lotto rounds. Or use Have my numbers won? to check your usual numbers against past draws.
Irish Lotto draw times
Irish Lotto is drawn on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and the draw is streamed live on lottery.ie at 7:55pm. Ireland is on the same time as the UK, so that’s 7:55pm here too.
The Monday draw is new. It started with the game change in September 2026, when Irish Lotto moved to 6 numbers from 45. On draw days, the lottery.ie play page counts down to 7:45pm. Our Irish Lotto guide explains the new format.
Powerball draw times in the UK
Powerball is drawn in the US at 10:59pm New York time on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. In the UK, that’s just before 4am on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings. You need to buy by 11:55pm the night before.
Watch out when the clocks change. UK clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026, but US clocks don’t change until Sunday 1 November. For the draws in that week, the Powerball draw happens at 2:59am UK time instead of 3:59am. The 11:55pm cut-off stays the same.
Our Powerball guide covers prices, prizes and how the jackpot is paid.
Do draw times change with the clocks?
Not for the UK games. Lotto, EuroMillions and Thunderball are always drawn at the same UK time, whether it’s British Summer Time or not. EuroMillions is drawn in Paris, but the National Lottery shows it at 8:45pm UK time all year, so you don’t need to adjust for France either.
Only Powerball shifts, and only for that one week when the UK and US clocks are out of step.
Questions people ask
What time is the Lotto draw?
8pm every Wednesday and Saturday, UK time. Buy before 7:30pm to play that night.
What time is the EuroMillions draw?
8:45pm UK time every Tuesday and Friday. Ticket sales for that night close at 7:30pm.
What time is the Thunderball draw?
8pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 8:15pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
What time do lottery tickets stop selling?
7:30pm on draw days for Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and HotPicks. Powerball sales close at 11:55pm.
What time are lottery results published?
The National Lottery publishes full results from around 9:30pm on draw nights. Powerball results are out from around 5am the next morning.
Can I buy a ticket after 7:30pm?
You can buy online at any time, but a ticket bought after 7:30pm on a draw day won’t be in that night’s draw. Check the draw date on your ticket.