Des Moines, Iowa — The Powerball drawing scheduled for Monday night was delayed and it’s likely that the official results won’t be known until Tuesday morning, the Multi-State Lottery Association said in a statement.
The world record-breaking $1.9 billion Powerball drawing was held up because a participating lottery needed more time to process its sales, officials said. The state having the issues wasn’t named.
“Powerball requires all 48 participating lotteries to submit their sales and play data prior to the winning numbers being selected. Once Powerball receives the outstanding submission, the drawing can proceed,” the lottery said.
California lottery officials tweeted additional information:
The winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing will be posted to the Powerball website and YouTube channel. Players should hold onto their tickets, the Multi-State Lottery Association statement said.
The jackpot is nearly $400 million larger than Saturday night’s previous record jackpot of some $1.6 billion and will keep growing until someone wins the prize.
Only four previous jackpots have topped $1 billion, but none were even close to the current one, which started at $20 million back on Aug. 6 and over three winless months has grown ever more massive. No one has won the jackpot since Aug. 3.
A winner who chooses an annuity, paid annually over 29 years, would get the estimated $1.9 billion payout. Nearly all winners instead opt for cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be $929.1 million.
All prize amounts are before taxes.
Even as more people attracted by the giant prize drop $2 on a Powerball ticket, the game’s ultra-long odds of 1 in 292.2 million means there still is a good chance that another drawing will pass without anyone winning the grand prize. That would push the jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing to more than $2 billion.
Those who spend $2 on a Powerball ticket might wonder if something is wrong when 40 drawings pass without a jackpot winner, but this is how the game is designed: The odds of 1 in 292 million make it unlikely anyone will win the prize until a growing jackpot attracts more players. And more ticket sales mean the lottery can raise more money for public programs, which is the point of the state lotteries. Still, it’s been an awful long time without a jackpot and if there isn’t a winner some time Tuesday now because of the delay, another kind of record will have been reached: 41 draws without anyone matching all six numbers.
The game is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 each.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET and are live streamed at Powerball.com.
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 play slip. Those who would rather not select numbers themselves can opt for the lottery terminal to choose their numbers randomly.
Smaller prizes are given out to players who hold tickets with numbers that partially match the sequence announced during a drawing. In order to win the jackpot, a ticket must match all six numbers, including the final Powerball number.
— Emily Mae Czachor contributed reporting.
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