US: Winning numbers for record-breaking $2.04 bn Powerball lottery drawn after delay

On Tuesday morning, the numbers for the record-breaking$2.04 billion Powerball jackpot were drawn after a 10-hour delay. The amount for the prizeincreased after updated calculations and the drawing was delayed until8:57 amEST (7:27 pm IST). The numbers weredrawn ina Florida Lottery draw studio where the white ball numbers were,10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, while the redPowerball was 10. Meanwhile,the players have to wait for the next few hours tofind out who, if anyone, has won the lottery this time around.

The calculations until Monday amounted toa $1.9 billion Powerball drawing which was to take place on Monday night but was delayed as a participating lottery needed more time to process its sales. Therefore, the official results werenot be known until Tuesday, said the Multi-State Lottery Association in a statement to the Associated Press.

“Powerball requires all 48 participating lotteries to submit their sales and play data prior to the winning numbers being selected. Once Powerball receives the outstanding submission, the drawing can proceed,” the lottery said. Furthermore, the association also said that it is against their policy to name the lottery that is facing the delay.

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According to reports, only four jackpots have crossed the $1 billion mark, none of which have come close to the current amount, which first began earlier this year in August with $20 million. Over the last three months, the amount hasgrown after several draws as no winners were announced.

Meanwhile, the California lottery took to Twitter and also announced, “When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors. Winning numbers will be posted as soon as they are available. Thank you for your patience.”

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A winner that chooses an annuity (paid annually over 29 years) would get an estimated $1.9 billion payout, however, if opted for cash which nearly most winners do, in Monday’s drawing would have received $929.1 million.

However, as the current odds of winning are one in 292.2 million, said lottery officials, there is a chance that another drawing will pass without anyone winning which will push the jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing to over $2 billion.

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The game is played in 45 of the 50 states in the United States including Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, the tickets for which are priced at $2 each. The Powerball drawings take place on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and are live-streamed on their website.

(With inputs from agencies)

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