Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States, played in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The multi-state game is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday evening, typically at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. However, on rare occasions, the Powerball drawing has been delayed past its scheduled time for various reasons.
Delays in Powerball drawings generate a lot of interest and speculation from lottery players and the general public. People want to know why it happened and if it has occurred before. Powerball has experienced a few notable drawing delays over the years since the game began in 1992. Let’s take a look at some of the major times the Powerball drawing was postponed and the circumstances behind the delays.
Significant Powerball Drawing Delays
Here are some of the most prominent instances when the Powerball drawing was delayed beyond its regular time slot:
March 2019 Delay – Powerball Drawing Postponed to Next Day
One of the most recent major Powerball drawing delays took place on March 27, 2019. On that night, the scheduled 10:59 p.m. ET drawing did not take place due to a technical issue. The Powerball drawing ended up being postponed until the next day.
The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) issued a statement that there was a technical problem with the draw machine used for the Powerball drawing. They did not elaborate on the specific mechanical issue. Given the strict security protocols around lottery drawings, MUSL decided to postpone the drawing rather than try to resolve the problem quickly. They did not want to compromise the integrity of the drawing in any way.
The March 27th drawing was held at 8:57 a.m. ET on March 28, 2019 at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, FL. The winning numbers were: 16-20-37-44-62 with a Powerball of 12. The Power Play multiplier was 3X.
This was the first time a scheduled Powerball drawing had been delayed since July 2014 (see below). It was a very unusual event in Powerball history at the time.
July 2014 Delay – Pennsylvania Budget Impasse
On the evening of July 9, 2014, the Powerball drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET did not occur on time. The reason was because the Pennsylvania Lottery was barred from selling Powerball tickets due to the state government budget impasse.
At the time, the Pennsylvania legislature had failed to pass a budget by the July 1st deadline. This resulted in a shutdown of non-essential state services, including the Pennsylvania Lottery. Without an approved budget, the Pennsylvania Lottery could not legally operate or sell lottery games, including Powerball tickets.
Since Powerball requires all member lotteries to participate in order for a drawing to be held, the July 9th drawing was postponed. Pennsylvania’s government budget impasse continued for several days.
Finally, on July 14, 2014 a budget deal was reached which funded the Pennsylvania Lottery once again. The Pennsylvania Lottery immediately resumed Powerball sales.
The Multi-State Lottery Association held the delayed July 9th Powerball drawing on the evening of July 15, 2014. The winning numbers drawn were: 22-32-35-49-53 with a Powerball of 15.
This situation demonstrated how something like a state government budget crisis could threaten to disrupt one of the nation’s biggest lottery games. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania budget situation was resolved after a week. And MUSL implemented new rules so that Powerball drawings would not be impacted by any individual state’s issues in the future.
March 2013 Delay – Powerball Drawing Postponed to Next Day
On March 20, 2013, the Powerball drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET was delayed until the next day due to technical problems.
In this case, MUSL said there was a last minute printer issue at one of the lotteries involved just before the scheduled drawing. As a security precaution, they decided to postpone the drawing rather than try to resolve the problem under pressure.
The Multi-State Lottery Association held the delayed drawing for the March 20th Powerball the next day, March 21, 2013 at its draw studio in Urbandale, Iowa.
The winning numbers on March 21, 2013 were: 13-19-36-39-59 with a Powerball of 13. The Power Play multiplier drawn was 2X.
This situation was similar to the March 2019 postponement in that MUSL opted to delay the drawing overnight rather than scramble to fix a technical problem under pressure right before the scheduled drawing time.
April 2011 Delay – Power Outage
On the evening of April 14, 2011, the Powerball drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET was delayed due to a power outage.
A power failure at MUSL headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa impacted the video and audio feeds of the live Powerball drawing webcast. Backup generators restored power fairly quickly. However, for security reasons the Multi-State Lottery Association decided to postpone the drawing until the following morning rather than try to get the live drawing feeds back online immediately.
The delayed April 14th drawing took place at 8:30 a.m. Central Time on April 15, 2011. The winning numbers drawn were: 36-45-47-54-55 with a Powerball of 16.
At the time, this situation was highly unusual for Powerball. But lottery organizers responded prudently by delaying the drawing to uphold the integrity of the game.
March 2006 Delay – Blizzard Conditions
On March 15, 2006, the Powerball drawing scheduled for 9:59 p.m. CT was postponed due to blizzards impacting the central United States.
Snow, ice, whiteout conditions, and power outages were reported across several states in the Plains, Midwest, and South on March 15th. There were concerns some states would be unable to transmit their official Powerball sales and play data to MUSL headquarters in Iowa for the scheduled drawing.
MUSL decided to delay the drawing as winter storm impacts spread. The postponed drawing took place the next evening, March 16, at 9:59 p.m. CT. The winning numbers were: 3-18-27-36-50 with a Powerball of 11.
This was the first time a major winter storm caused Powerball to postpone a drawing. But it demonstrated the lottery’s procedures to uphold game integrity and security.
Other Notable Powerball Delays
In addition to those major postponements, there have been a few other notable instances of Powerball drawings being delayed a short time beyond the scheduled time:
- On May 19, 1999, the Powerball drawing was delayed 40 minutes until 11:39 p.m. ET due to technical problems.
- On May 8, 2002, the Powerball drawing was delayed 49 minutes until 11:48 p.m. ET because MUSL needed extra time to ensure all Powerball sales data was submitted after a computer error.
- On August 31, 2005, the Powerball drawing was postponed 36 minutes until 10:35 p.m. ET due to technical difficulties.
- On September 14, 2005, there was a 26 minute delay until 11:25 p.m. ET because of a backup in verifying sales information.
In each of those cases, MUSL took a bit of extra time to resolve minor technical or administrative issues to uphold game security and accuracy. The longest delay was less than an hour beyond the scheduled drawing time.
Safeguards Against Delays
The overall odds of a delay in the Powerball drawing are very slim. The Multi-State Lottery Association takes many precautions to ensure drawings occur as scheduled. These include:
- Backup draw machines and equipment at multiple locations
- Contingency plans for last-minute problems
- Backup generators and systems
- Test draws before scheduled live draws
In addition, changes made to Powerball rules after the July 2014 delay due to the Pennsylvania budget crisis gave MUSL more flexibility to proceed with drawings even if a particular state is unable to participate.
MUSL can now hold a drawing if all but one lottery is operational. Previously, every state had to be able to participate as planned for the drawing to be held. The new policy minimizes disruptions.
These robust precautions make it highly unlikely an issue would prevent a scheduled drawing from being held. Over the history of Powerball, the average player has about a 1 in 6000 chance of a drawing delay occurring on a date they play.
Historical Frequency of Powerball Drawing Delays
Looking at Powerball’s history, drawing postponements have been very rare events considering the number of drawings held over 30 years.
As of October 2023, there have been approximately 3,700 Powerball drawings since the game started in 1992. Among those, only 5 drawings have been postponed to the following day and 4 others were delayed less than an hour.
That equates to only about a 0.2% historical frequency of postponed or significantly delayed Powerball drawings.
This table summarizes the Powerball drawing delays to date:
| Drawing Date | Delay Length | Reason for Delay |
|---|---|---|
| March 27, 2019 | Postponed to next day | Technical problem with draw machine |
| July 9, 2014 | Postponed 6 days | Pennsylvania budget impasse |
| March 20, 2013 | Postponed to next day | Technical printer issue |
| April 14, 2011 | Postponed to next day | Power outage at draw studio |
| March 15, 2006 | Postponed to next day | Blizzard conditions |
| May 19, 1999 | 40 minute delay | Technical difficulties |
| May 8, 2002 | 49 minute delay | Time needed for sales data |
| August 31, 2005 | 36 minute delay | Technical problems |
| September 14, 2005 | 26 minute delay | Sales data backup |
Looking at the recent decade from 2010 to 2022, there were only 2 postponements beyond the next day out of over 1,700 drawings. That translates to just around a 0.1% frequency of significant delays in modern times.
So while occasional Powerball drawing delays generate considerable interest, they have been very rare occurrences over the history of the game. The lottery has robust measures in place to conduct drawings as scheduled barring any major unforeseen factors.
Impacts of Powerball Drawing Delays
Postponed Powerball drawings can generate mixed reactions from lottery players. Some players may appreciate the caution taken by MUSL to uphold game security. Others may be disappointed at the delayed gratification waiting for the winning numbers.
The financial impacts are usually minimal. Tickets for the originally scheduled drawing are still valid. And ticket sales continue until the rescheduled drawing occurs.
In some cases, a delayed drawing may result in increased ticket sales as the jackpot grows slightly higher before the drawing takes place. When the drawing gets postponed to the next day, players have a short additional window to buy tickets too.
The biggest inconvenience is simply having to wait longer to find out the winning numbers and see if you won a prize. Broadcast partners and news outlets need to adjust to report the postponement and cover the delayed drawing as well.
Overall though, MUSL takes drawing delays in stride to protect game integrity above all else. And history shows they are isolated, temporary events in the context of thousands of successful drawings over decades.
Conclusion
In summary, delays in the Powerball drawing have occurred sporadically since the game began in 1992. Draw postponements or major delays beyond an hour have happened just 9 times in lottery history.
The reasons range from technical problems and equipment issues to weather events to administrative factors. In each case, the Multi-State Lottery Association determined a brief postponement was warranted to uphold security procedures and conduct an accurate drawing.
Despite the rare delays, MUSL has extensive safeguards in place to ensure the vast majority of Powerball drawings are held as scheduled. Backup systems, contingency protocols, and new drawing policies minimize risk.
While drawing delays generate interest when they happen, they have been a very uncommon occurrence. Over 3,700 drawings have been held smoothly. Players can feel confident the Powerball drawing will proceed on time and in a secure manner for any given jackpot.