Users have encountered difficulties accessing the National Lottery website and app, but this is not due to an outage. Rather, it is a planned closure aimed at facilitating significant upgrades to the platform. As of 11 PM on Saturday night, all draw game sales and prize claims have been paused in shops across the UK, following the Lotto and Thunderball draws, and are expected to resume “late Monday morning,” according to operator Allwyn.
Heads up – Planned maintenance
— The National Lottery (@TNLUK) August 2, 2025
Why is the National Lottery down?
The closure, anticipated to last approximately 36 hours, is part of the largest technological upgrade in the National Lottery’s 31-year history. During this period, customers will be unable to log into their online accounts, purchase draw tickets, or claim prizes either in-store or online until later today, Monday, August 4.
Allwyn is undertaking a comprehensive transfer and upgrade of the National Lottery’s gaming and retail systems to new platforms, a necessary step to modernize the infrastructure.
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When can I use an in-store National Lottery terminal?
In-store terminals are also expected to be operational later today; however, the company has cautioned that a “small proportion” of these terminals may experience delays in coming back online if certain upgrade processes face interruptions.
The Czech-based Allwyn group, which assumed the 10-year license to operate the lottery from Camelot in February last year, noted that the systems and in-store terminals supporting The National Lottery have been in place since 2009—before the advent of iPads, Uber, and Instagram. This modernization is essential to fulfill Allwyn’s ambitious vision for a National Lottery that is “fit for the future.”
Allwyn’s chief executive, Andria Vidler, remarked, “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver The National Lottery that the UK deserves.”
