Jacob Brown
According to lottery officials, the eagerly anticipated $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot drawing scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to a delay in completing the necessary pre-draw procedures.
Delay Announcement:
Lottery officials announced the delay, citing the need for additional time by one of the lottery’s jurisdictions to complete the required pre-draw procedures.
The drawing, initially scheduled for 11 p.m. EST on Saturday, was postponed to ensure the security and integrity of the Powerball game.
Ticket Verification Process:
Powerball game rules mandate that every ticket sold nationwide undergo thorough verification against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn. This stringent process ensures fairness and equal opportunity for all ticket sales.
Despite initial hopes of completing the drawing as soon as possible, Powerball officials announced that the delay persisted into the early hours of Sunday morning.
The ongoing ticket verification issue in one of the jurisdictions necessitated continued postponement of the drawing.
Unspecified Jurisdiction and Cause:
Powerball officials have not disclosed the specific jurisdiction experiencing the ticket verification delay or the exact cause of the delay.
Saturday’s delayed drawing also offers winners a $608.9 million cash option, which provides an alternative to the full jackpot payout over 30 payments.
While uncommon, delays in Powerball drawings have occurred before, such as in 2022, when a $1.9 billion jackpot drawing was postponed due to issues processing sales and play data by a participating lottery.
