Monday's Powerball drawing — or the lack of one — stirred a slew of questions.
Minutes after the winning numbers of the historic $1.9 billion Powerball drawing were set to be revealed, lottery officials made an announcement.
"Tonight’s Powerball drawing has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols," The California Lottery Tweeted. "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," the statement continued. "Winning numbers will be posted as soon as they are available. Thank you for your patience"
The big reveal eventually rolled into Tuesday, with the winning numbers: 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, with a Powerball of 10.
Lottery officials confirmed that one winning ticket was sold in California, with the player expected to take home a record-setting jackpot of $2.04 billion — a prize amount that ballooned because of last-minute ticket sales.
So what exactly happened Monday, and why was the most recent drawing delayed? Here's what we know.
One of the 48 Lotteries Needed More Time to "Complete its Security Protocols"
One of the states participating in the Powerball game had "failed to meet its security protocols in time," a statement from the Multi-State Lottery Association read late Monday.
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“When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors," the statement continued.
The Minnesota Lottery took responsibility for the delayed drawing Tuesday.
Minnesota Lottery officials confirmed the delay was caused by a processing issue in their lottery, and offered the following statement to NBC 5:
"After unprecedented lottery interest, Minnesota’s lottery sales verification system caused a processing delay on Monday, Nov. 7. The delay was necessary to confirm the Powerball drawing could be conducted securely and accurately. At no time was the integrity of the process compromised."
According to Drew Svitko, chairperson of the Powerball game group for the Multi-State Lottery Association, game delays aren't all that atypical.
"It's not that unusual that we have a slight delay — although last night was more significant because of the size of the jackpot and the length of the delay," Svitko said.
In this case, Svitko said the process of resolving the issue played out as it should have.
"What happened in this case was exactly what was supposed to happen," Svitko said. "We postpone the drawing until we're sure that everybody's done all their procedures, and we can be sure that we have a secure drawing. So the process was designed as an inconvenience."
Powerball tickets can be purchased for $2 in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Five states — Utah, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and Alabama — do not have a lottery.
Last Minute Ticket Sales Pushed the $1.9 Billion Jackpot Over $2 Billion
After no winner was drawn in Saturday's $1.5 billion Powerball drawing, the jackpot soared to $1.9 billion — the highest number in U.S. history.
However, the amount climbed to $2.04 billion due to last-minute ticket sales.
"We set that jackpot by projecting what sales we're going to get between the night we set the jackpot and the next drawing — so we're really taking an educated guess," Svitko said. "And in this case, we sold a little bit more than we expected, and so the jackpot came in a little bit higher than expected."
The prize marks the largest ever in lottery history. The jackpot had been rolling higher through thrice-weekly drawings since Aug. 3, when a ticket in Pennsylvania scored $206.9 million.
The pre-tax cash lump sum of the jackpot amounts to $997.6 million, dwarfing the jackpot of the previous Powerball winner.
Who Won the Jackpot?
Besides the fact the ticket was sold in Altadena, California, not much is known about the jackpot hitter.
"Unfortunately, we don't know anything about the transaction or who bought it," Svitko said. "But we're excited, just excited as everybody else, to see who comes forward and eventually claims that prize and learn a little bit about their story."
When the ticket-holder does come forward, though, their name will be subject to disclosure. According to the California Lottery, the winner’s full name, as well as the name and location of the business that sold the ticket, are matters of public record.
You Don't Need to Match All Six Numbers to Win a Payout
But you do need to match all six numbers in order to win the jackpot.
Players can win various payouts from one, two, three, four, or five matched numbers. That prize increases if the Powerball number is matched.
Here's a Powerball Payout breakdown:
- 5 numbers matched: $1 million (1 in 11,688,054 odds)
- 4 numbers matched + Powerball: $50,000 (1 in 913,129 odds)
- 4 numbers matched: $100 (1 in 36,525 odds)
- 3 numbers matched + Powerball: $100 (1 in 14,494 odds)
- 3 numbers matched: $7 (1 in 580 odds)
- 2 numbers matched + Powerball: $7 (1 in 701 odds)
- 1 number matched + Powerball: $4 (1 in 92 odds)
- Powerball matched: $4 (1 in 38 odds)
Players also have the option of adding a "Power Play" to their ticket, which is an additional cost but can increase the amount of money you win if you get a match.
When Do Powerball Drawings Take Place?
Powerball drawings happen every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 p.m.
