After issues with processing sales caused an overnight delay, officials overseeing a record $2.04bn Powerball jackpot on Tuesday announced the would-be winning numbers for the largest-ever lottery prize in history: 10-33-41-47-56, and the Powerball was 10.
The announcement has now left much of the US waiting to learn whether anyone had bought a winning ticket or if the jackpot would swell to an even greater amount.
The prize is nearly $400m larger than the previous record jackpot. Only four previous Powerball jackpots have topped $1bn, but none of those are close to Tuesday’s potential prize, which started at $20m on 6 August.
Whoever ultimately wins the jackpot can choose to receive the full prize, paid through an annuity over 29 years, or a lump sum of cash paid immediately. Winners more often opt for the lump sum.
All winnings will be subject to federal taxes, reducing the payout by more than one-third. In addition, many states tax lottery winnings, which will eat into the prize as well.
Since the last Powerball prize on 3 August, there had been 40 drawings without a winner. This tied the record for the most number of draws without a winner held by a run of drawings last year, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association based in Clive, Iowa.
To win the top prize, players must buy a $2 ticket and match all five white balls as well as one red Powerball. The odds of doing so are 1 in 292m, which means it’s not unusual for no one to win the prize until a growing jackpot attracts an increasing number of players.
Millions of Americans bought tickets as the jackpot rose over multiple draws in the last month. Enough tickets were sold for Saturday’s unwon prize of $1.6bn that 62% of the 292.2m possible number combinations were covered.
The Powerball draw unveiled Tuesday was delayed from Monday because a participating lottery had trouble processing ticket sales. Officials didn’t disclose which participating lottery it was, citing a policy against doing so.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as in Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. And according to the California Lottery, security requirements “must be met by all 48 [participating] lotteries before a drawing can occur”.
The draw was performed “under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors”, the California Lottery said.
The Powerball jackpot up for grabs is separate from a $1.334bn Mega Millions lottery prize claimed in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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