Hours late, Powerball awarded a $1.3 billion jackpot early Sunday. Here's what happened.

Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
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The most anticipated Powerball drawing on April 6, worth an estimated $1.326 billion and the fourth largest jackpot in its history, caught players by surprise when the lottery encountered an issue.

Leaving Powerball players hanging with their tickets close by, game officials announced the delay around 11:15 p.m. ET and said the wait was due to pre-draw procedures that weren’t complete. It wasn’t until 2:30 a.m., more than three hours after the drawing was scheduled, that the winning numbers were pulled at the Florida Lottery studio. The drawing was live-streamed on the Powerball’s YouTube channel.

The drawing had a jackpot worth an estimated $1.3 billion. When the numbers were announced, the jackpot jumped to $1.326 billion. For the 5th time, the Powerball had a jackpot over billion dollars.

Following the delay the Powerball issued the following statement:

"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," the statement said. "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."

On Sunday, the Oregon Lottery announced that a winning ticket for the fourth-largest jackpot was sold in the state. The winner has one year to claim the massive jackpot and can walk away with $621 million if they choose the cash option, according to the lottery.

The Multi-State Lottery Association told USA TODAY that each state needed to complete the pre-draw process before the drawing could begin.

Here's what really happened:

What happened during the Powerball drawing on April 6?

After no grand prize winner from Wednesday's drawing, the Powerball jackpot for Wednesday now sits at $1.3 billion with a cash value of $608.9 million.
After no grand prize winner from Wednesday's drawing, the Powerball jackpot for Wednesday now sits at $1.3 billion with a cash value of $608.9 million.

The Powerball wants its players to know that there wasn't an issue with the actual drawing, rather, additional time was needed in order to complete the lotteries pre draw procedures.

In a specific format, the Multi-State Lottery Association said that the lottery association must receive all sales and player data from all 48 lottery states before conducting the Powerball drawing. This process is completed regardless of Powerball jackpot amount.

Oregon player comes forward: As $1.3 billion Powerball lottery winner, officials say

What are lotteries pre-draw procedures?

Before every Powerball drawing, the lottery requires that each state submit the numbers of the purchased tickets before the drawing. By doing this, the lottery can ensure that each player has an equal amount of odds of winning in that drawing.

To protect the integrity of the drawing, the Multi-State Lottery Association said all of the required sales and play data should be summitted before the Powerball drawing. This prevents anyone from cheating and claiming that they won the jackpot in the state.

Was this the first time the Powerball has been delayed?

As Powerball players anticipated seeing the numbers rolled and selected at 10:59 ET, the lottery had a delay because of the pre-draw procedures. Although the wait might be annoying to some, the lottery said this isn't the first time the lottery has experienced this type of delay.

Beginning in April 1992, the Powerball has experienced a few drawing hiccups in its 30 year existence. The lottery had a few drawings that were held past the 10:59 ET drawing, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The Powerball is only given a 10-minute window to air their drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. However, if a drawing is ever delayed or encounters an issue, players can view the drawing live stream on the Powerball's website.

Which state is to blame for the Powerball delay?

USA TODAY asked the Multi-State Lottery Association which state was at fault for the Powerball delay of the April 6 drawing. Protecting the identity of the state that caused the delay, the lottery organization declined to comment.

Should Powerball players trust the lottery?

While the Multi-State Lottery Association did not answer yes or no to the question, the lottery organization maintains that enacting the pre-draw procedure before every drawing will keep the integrity of the drawing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Powerball tries to explain $1.3 billion jackpot delay, won't ID state