Issues with the Minnesota Lottery were behind a nearly 10-hour delay in Monday’s drawing for the record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.
The Minnesota Lottery said the delay was due to issues with its sales verification system after “unprecedented lottery interest.”
“The delay was necessary to confirm the Powerball drawing could be conducted securely and accurately,” the lottery stated. “At no time was the integrity of the process compromised.”
Monday’s Powerball drawing was supposed to be held at 10:59 p.m. ET, but the winning numbers weren’t announced until 9 a.m. ET Tuesday. Soon afterward, it was revealed that a single California ticket matched all six numbers.
The numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball 10.
The Multi-State Lottery Association told The Associated Press that all 48 participating lotteries are required to submit their sales and play data before the Powerball numbers can be drawn.
At the time, the association declined to reveal which lottery was the cause of the delay, saying, “It’s against our policy to name the lottery that is experiencing the delay.”
A similar issue delayed a Powerball drawing last month, according to Nexstar’s WEHT.
In April, Nexstar’s WJW reported that Powerball stated there was a delay because a participating lottery needed extra time to complete security protocols. Last summer, a Powerball drawing was delayed to allow several lotteries extra time for the same reason, Nexstar’s WCBD reports.
Monday’s jackpot was the largest ever for Powerball, the largest in U.S. lottery history, and the second lottery prize to surpass $1 billion this year.
In July, the Mega Millions jackpot, which went unclaimed until September, reached a historic $1.34 billion. Two Illinois winners eventually came forward to collect the prize, which now ranks as the fourth-largest in U.S. history, according to The Associated Press.
The jackpot prize for Wednesday’s draw now reverts to an estimated $20 million.
The Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
