Lottery players in the UK will be unable to access the National Lottery services this weekend as part of planned maintenance.
At 11pm this Saturday, 24 January, the National Lottery website and its mobile apps on Android and iOS devices will go offline for 24 hours as the lottery’s operator, Allwyn, rolls out its latest update.
This update, according to Allwyn, will introduce a new payment screen and additional FAQs aimed at making the process of checking results, accessing games and claiming prizes easier.
More importantly, the operator will introduce new player safety features, such as mandatory personal deposit and spending limits that will affect all new customers, together with automated logouts after 60-minute playing sessions and more player safety messages for instant game customers.
Currently in its third year of a 10-year license to operate the National Lottery, Allwyn implemented a similar shutdown earlier in 2025 when it conducted another update to both its retail and online operations.
Retail customers will be familiar with the latter, as the operator replaced thousands of National Lottery retail terminals with its newly-designed Wave terminals, together with a brand new software – all part of Allwyn’s commitment to modernise the National Lottery ecosystem.
This time, however, the temporary shutdown will be only digital, with players still able to log in and play online up until 11pm on Saturday. The Lotto and Thunderball draws will still take place at 8pm, while customers will still be able to buy tickets at more than 40,000 National Lottery retailers across the country.
Andria Vidler, Allwyn CEO, said: “These much-needed digital upgrades mark another milestone in our transformation to make The National Lottery more player-focused, with new games, more winners, and greater support for Good Causes.
“This is just the beginning of an exciting year for Allwyn and The National Lottery, as we work towards our ambitious goal to double weekly returns to Good Causes from £30m-a-week at the start of the licence to £60m by 2034.”