National Lottery website and apps to go offline for 24 hours for major upgrade

The National Lottery website and apps will go offline for around 24 hours this weekend to make way for a major upgrade.

The national-lottery.co.uk site, as well as the game’s iOS and Android apps, will pause between 11pm on January 24 until the end of the Sunday while the work is carried out.

Players will be able to log in and play online until 11pm on Saturday, and the Lotto and Thunderball draws will take place as usual from 8pm that evening.

Once the website and apps go offline, players will still be able to buy tickets at retailers nationwide.

Results and prize breakdowns will be available on YouTube and at The National Lottery’s 43,500 retail outlets.

Winnings on retail-bought tickets of up to £500 will be able to be claimed in-store as usual.

Operator Allwyn said players would notice “a few” changes once the website and apps are back online, such as a new payment screen.

They would also find the process of checking results, playing games and claiming prizes “even simpler”, with videos and FAQs on key changes available to guide players.

App users with auto-updates enabled will receive the new version automatically, while others will be prompted to update when they next load the app.

Allwyn said it was also introducing mandatory personal deposit and spend limit setting for all new customers, as well as automatic logouts after 60 minutes, with a 10-minute cooling-off period, and regular 20-minute “reality checks” for instant game players.

The National Lottery operator said the work was the next step in its “transformation journey”, which included shifting the accounts of the game’s 11.8 million active registered players to a new system.

The new digital channels would offer the largest ever range of National Lottery games, improved protection tools and a refreshed look “while keeping the experience familiar for existing players”.

Once the upgrade is complete, players would be able to log in as usual, Allwyn said.

It added that the digital improvements were a “springboard for even more exciting plans coming in the months ahead”.

Allwyn chief executive 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.”

Allwyn previously paused National Lottery sales and payouts for around 36 hours at the end of July to make way for the biggest technology upgrade in the game’s 31-year history.