National Lottery website and apps to shut down for 24 hours – here’s when

The national-lottery.co.uk site, as well as the game’s apps, will pause in order to make way for a major upgrade

The National Lottery's online services are set to undergo a significant upgrade this weekend, leading to a temporary shutdown of its website and mobile applications.

From 11 pm on Saturday, 24 January, until Sunday night, the national-lottery.co.uk site and its iOS and Android apps will be offline for approximately 24 hours while essential maintenance is carried out.

Players can continue to log in and participate in games online until the 11 pm cut-off on Saturday.

The regular Lotto and Thunderball draws will proceed as scheduled from 8 pm that evening.

During the downtime, tickets will still be available for purchase at National Lottery retailers across the country. Results and prize breakdowns will be accessible via YouTube and at the 43,500 retail outlets.

Winnings of up to £500 from tickets bought in-store can be claimed 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.

Players can continue to log in and participate in games online until the 11 pm cut-off on Saturday, January 24 (Alamy/PA)

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.