Des Moines, Iowa – Powerball announced Monday night that the $1.9 billion world record draw “has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing additional time to complete required security protocols.”
“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a draw can take place. When the required security protocols are completed, the draw will be conducted under the supervision of lottery security officers and independent auditors,” a statement read.
In a statement emailed to Associated Press Questions, the Multi-State Lottery Association said the delay was the result of a participating lottery needing more time to process its sales. “We still plan to hold the Powerball draw tonight,” the statement said, although no schedule was provided.
Powerball did not specify which state was causing the delay.
Once the issue is resolved, the winning numbers will be published on Powerball.com and a recording of the draw will be available on Powerball’s YouTube channel.
The jackpot is nearly $400 million higher than the previous record jackpot and will continue to grow until someone wins the pot of gold.
A winner who chooses an annuity, paid annually over 29 years, would receive the estimated payout of $1.9 billion. Almost all of the winners are opting for cash instead, which for Monday’s draw would be $929.1 million.
The grand prize rose to $1.9 billion over the weekend, a record for any lottery, anywhere, for the last drawing Saturday.
Only four previous jackpots have topped $1 billion, but none have come close to the current prize, which started at $20 million on August 6 and over three months without a win has grown increasingly massive. No one has won the jackpot since August 3.
Anticipation for the lottery’s estimated prize fund has grown steadily over the past three months, as dozens of Powerball rounds have gone by without anyone taking the full jackpot. 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 purchase Powerball tickets, sold at $2 per game, 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 a prize in a Powerball draw would be around 1 in 25, a player’s chance of hitting the jackpot is significantly lower, at around 1 in 292 million, according to officials.
When purchasing a Powerball ticket, the player is asked to choose five numbers between 1 and 69, and one number between 1 and 26, for a total of six numbers printed on a game slip. Those who prefer not to select the numbers themselves can opt for the lottery terminal to choose their numbers at random.
Smaller prizes are distributed to players who hold tickets with numbers that partially match the announced sequence in a draw. To win the jackpot, a ticket must match all six numbers called, including the final Powerball number.
— Emily Mae Czachor contributed reporting.