LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The eighth-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history - $1.3 billion - is at stake in Saturday's multi-state Powerball drawing.
However, the drawing has been delayed. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game, issued the following statement: "The Powerball drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6 has been delayed.
"Tonight, we have one participating lottery that needs additional time to complete required pre-draw procedures, which have been enacted to protect the security and integrity of the Powerball game.
"Powerball game rules require that every single ticket sold nationwide be checked and verified against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn. This is done to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing has been accounted for and has an equal chance to win. Tonight, we have one jurisdiction that needs extra time to complete that pre-draw process.
"Please hold on to your tickets for Saturday's Powerball drawing. When the required pre-draw procedures are complete, the Powerball drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors.
"The drawing will be live streamed on Powerball.com, and the winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing will be posted to the Powerball website and YouTube channel.''
There have been 40 drawings since Jan. 1, the last time a ticket with all six numbers was sold, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
Saturday's drawing was initially scheduled to take place at 7:59 p.m. Tickets sold after 7:05 p.m. were ineligible for the night's draw, but are eligible for the following drawing.
In its announcement Friday that the estimated jackpot had grown to $1.3 billion from the previous estimate of $1.23 billion because of strong ticket sales across the nation coupled with a boost in interest rates used to fund the annuitized prize, the Multi-State Lottery Association also sought to debunk what it called top misconceptions about whether players can gain an edge to winning the Powerball jackpot.
One misconception is that Powerball jackpot-winning tickets are only sold in big cities and states. Powerball was designed to be a random game with every ticket having the same possibility of matching the winning numbers drawn, the association said.
The number of winning tickets in a location directly correlates to the volume of ticket sales. Typically, there are more winning tickets in cities because they have higher ticket sales compared to rural areas, and therefore, more winners based upon sales volume.
The odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number are 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 24.9.
The jackpot for Saturday's drawing is the fourth-largest in the history of the Powerball game, which began in 1992. There have been four larger jackpots for the Mega Millions game, which began in 1996 as The Big Game and was given the new name Mega Millions in 2002.
The Powerball game is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
