The National Lottery has announced that players will not be able to access the website or app for part of this weekend.
This is to allow an update that will see “the most significant improvements” it has made since 2009.
While players will have to wait for the update to finish to gain access again, the National Lottery reassures them that it “will lay the foundations for us to deliver a better experience for you in the months and years ahead.”
📣 Important announcement 📣 pic.twitter.com/1JWyN4yoeA
— The National Lottery (@TNLUK) January 21, 2026
National Lottery to close app and website this weekend
National Lottery draws will go ahead as planned on Saturday (January 24) night but access will be denied thereafter.
The National Lottery will close its app and website from 11pm on Saturday, until the end of the day on Sunday, January 25.
All results from Saturday’s draws can be found on the National Lottery’s YouTube channel as usual.
What services will be unavailable while National Lottery’s site and app go down?
Customers won’t be able to buy draw tickets or play Instant Win Games on the app or website.
Ohh yeahhh... The Lotto jackpot has just been won!🤑
Remember Sarah? She won £3M on Lotto in 2005! Check your ticket, because #ItCouldBeYou 💫#NationalLottery pic.twitter.com/NRwFyfkQJO— The National Lottery (@TNLUK) January 21, 2026
The National Lottery adds: “You will still be able to buy draw tickets and Scratchcards and check results in your local National Lottery store”.
The Lotto and Thunderball draws will take place as usual from 8pm on Saturday.
What happens if I win while National Lottery’s app and site are down?
Any prizes that have been won won't be seen or claimed until the update has finished.
The National Lottery adds: “If you bought your ticket in-store then you will still be able to claim prizes as usual in your local National Lottery store (up to £100 or up to £500 at the retailer's discretion – please note you can't claim your prize in-store if you bought your ticket online).
“Our Contact Centre will be open too, although our team won't be able to progress any claims straight away while the technology upgrades are ongoing.”
Chief executive at Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, Andria Vidler, 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 £30 million a week at the start of the licence to £60 million by 2034.”
Recommended reading:
- As minimum wage increases to almost £25,000 workers urged to check their paypackets
- Ovo to pay £2.77m in compensation after warm home discount delays
- Asda customers can save £55 off food shops before the end of January (here's how)
Big prizes won in National Lottery games in the UK
Taking to Reddit, these National Lottery players have shared how successful they've been in winning prize money.
This person said: “£800 on Lotto HotPicks, twice. Will win big soon”.
Another commented: “£950, didn't last long.”
Someone else said they hadn't won anything quite as big: “I think about £11.50 in total over roughly 20 years.”
Another said they won “50 quid a while back”.
Will you be playing in any National Lottery draws this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Share