Powerball announces delay to record-breaking $1.9B drawing
Powerball announced Monday night that the record-breaking $1.9 billion drawing “has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols.”
“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur. When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors,” a statement said.
In an emailed statement to queries from The Associated Press, the Multi-State Lottery Association said the delay was the result of a participating lottery that needed additional time to process its sales. “We still plan on holding the Powerball drawing tonight,” the statement said, though no timing was provided.
The jackpot is nearly $400 million larger than the previous record jackpot and will keep growing until someone wins the prize. Only four previous jackpots have topped $1 billion, but none of those are close to the current prize, 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.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million.
The game is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
