Drawing location will move to backup site in Iowa
Tonight's Powerball drawing for the $223 million lottery jackpot will not take place at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee as usual, nor will it be broadcast live due to Hurricane Helene.
With the closure of the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, tonight's Powerball and Double Play drawings will take place at a backup site in Johnston, Iowa.
The drawings will still occur at the usual 10:59 p.m. EST draw time, but they will not be broadcast live on television or streamed online.
Security footage of the drawings with minimal production value will be posted to the official Powerball YouTube page following the conclusion of the drawings, according to a press release.
"The drawings will be performed in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Powerball Product Group of the Multi-State Lottery Association," a statement on the Powerball website reads.
Hurricane Helene became a Category 1 storm today and is predicted to reach Category 3 upon reaching the coast of Florida. Tropical-storm-force winds are expected to arrive as early as Thursday morning. Along its current projected path, it is expected to pass directly over Tallahassee with winds upward of 125 mph.
The National Hurricane Center warns of "considerable and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding" across portions of northwestern and northeastern Florida and surrounding regions through Friday, as well as "devastating hurricane-force winds" across northern Florida and southern Georgia as the core of Helene moves inland.
Powerball results will still be published after the drawing. Results are available within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega website provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States' two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
The next Powerball annuity jackpot estimate for the drawing on Wednesday, Sept. 25 currently stands at $223 million.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/352071