Monday night’s Powerball drawing, originally scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET, was delayed due to what the organization called a “technical issue.” When the issue is resolved, the winning numbers will be posted on powerball.com and a recording of the draw will be available on the Powerball YouTube channel, although it was not reported when the draw would take place.
The California Lottery tweeted that the drawing was delayed because a “participating lottery needed more time to complete required security protocols.”
“When required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be conducted under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors,” the California Lottery added.
A spokesperson for the California Lottery told CBS News that the problem did not originate in California.
the powerball jackpot rose to $1.9 billion over the weekend, setting another record after no player won the grand prize in the last drawing on Saturday.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night from the lottery drawing studio in Tallahassee, Florida.
The hype over the lottery’s estimated prize fund has grown steadily over the past three months, as dozens of Powerball rounds have passed without anyone taking home the jackpot in its entirety. the last grand prize went to a winning ticket sold in Pennsylvania in early August, and the prize fund has been growing ever since.
How to play Powerball
Interested players can buy Powerball tickets, sold for $2 a play, in 45 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to lottery officials. But while the odds of winning any prize during a Powerball drawing are said to be about 1 in 25, a player’s chances of securing the jackpot are significantly lower, at about 1 in 292 million, officials say.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased, the player is asked to choose five numbers between 1 and 69, and one number between 1 and 26, for a total of six figures printed on a game ticket. Those who prefer not to select the numbers themselves can opt to have the lottery terminal pick their numbers randomly.
Smaller prizes are awarded to players who have tickets with numbers that partially match the announced sequence during a draw. To win the jackpot, a ticket must match all six numbers called, including the final Powerball number.
Saturday’s drawing marked the 40th Powerball drawing since the last jackpot was won in August. If no one wins during Monday night’s drawing, this Powerball race will become the longest in game history without a grand prize winner.
If one or more Powerball tickets win on Monday, the estimated cash value of the jackpot is $929.1 million, according to the lottery. As usual, winners can choose to collect their prize as a lump sum payment, which can be collected in full after applicable taxes, or as an annuity, which is paid in 30 installment payments over 29 years.