Lottery Corporation flags increase to Powerball entry tickets, part of ‘refresh’ as company posts profit, revenue hit for FY25

Aussies are set for a slight surprise the next time they enter the weekly lotto draw, after the company behind Powerball and the country’s other weekly lotto draws announced it would be hiking the ticket entry prices for games by 20c. The Lottery Corporation announced the “refresh” to the Powerball game in its full-year results, posted on Wednesday. The company reported revenue of $3.7bn for the 2025 financial year - down 6.2 per cent from the previous financial year - and a net profit of $365m. Compared to the 2024 financial year, that figure is down 11.7 per cent. Sue van der Merwe, The Lottery Corporation’s managing director and chief executive, said the company’s lotteries division - which includes Keno, Powerball and Saturday Lotto, among others - delivered a “resilient” underlying performance. This included three $100m Powerball jackpots and a single $100m Oz Lotto jackpot over the financial year. She flagged changes to the Powerball game in November 2025, where the entry price per game would rise from $1.20 to $1.40, would result in “increases to prize offers and retailer commissions”. “The planned changes... are designed to reinforce its position as our premium jackpot game,” Ms van der Merwe said. The company’s operating expenses increased by 4.3 per cent due in part to an increase in technology costs. Changes to the Saturday Lotto game have already come into place - with the Division Prize offer increasing from $5m to $6m, plus an additional 10c cost rise per game. “In line with long-term customer demand, underlying participation remained healthy across the portfolio as customers sought out value amid economic challenges,” Ms van der Merwe continued. “This was reflected in relatively stable like-for-like turnover levels across our top three games - with Oz Lotto slightly up, and Powerball and Saturday Lotto slightly down.” Keno turnover was up 4.6 per cent, but digital turnover declined 18.6 per cent. This was attributed to the company’s decision to introduce mandatory spend limits for online Keno players. Ms van der Merwe said the coming financial year would have the full-year benefit of the price changes flagged for Saturday Lotto and Powerball games. “The company expects continued growth in digital share, enhanced personalisation and further productivity gains to support margin expansion and long-term value creation,” she said.