News Release Nebraska Lottery
LINCOLN, Neb-The Powerball Product Group, a collective group of 38 lotteries, today announced a series of exciting, new changes coming to the Powerball draw show. New drawing machines, ball sets and other production enhancements will debut in the Wednesday, September 30 drawing. While the look of the draw show will change, the Powerball® game itself will remain the same.
“Powerball has been America’s life-changing jackpot game for 28 years,” said May Scheve Reardon, Powerball Product Group Chair and Missouri Lottery Executive Director. “Players can be assured that the new drawing equipment has undergone rigorous security screenings and certifications to ensure its integrity.”
Throughout Powerball’s 28-year history, the game’s drawing machines and ball sets have been replaced as industry standards for drawing equipment have evolved. The new drawing machines are the Halogen II model from Smartplay International, Inc. The Halogen II is an upgraded version of the gravity-driven machines that are currently used in Powerball drawings.
Powerball’s official ball sets will also transition from hard rubber balls to solid foam balls. Solid foam balls are the new industry standard for ball sets used in gravity-driven machines. Players may have previously seen solid foam balls used in other drawings, such as the drawing for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year on ABC’s live broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020.”
“The work to overhaul the Powerball draw show started last year, and in the middle of the project, the COVID-19 public health crisis hit,” said Gregg Edgar, MUSL Marketing and Promotions Committee Chair and Arizona Lottery Executive Director. “Despite the challenges, we were able to continue our collaboration with lotteries and businesses across the country to produce a draw show that captures the thrill of Powerball. We are excited to share the final product with our loyal Powerball players.”
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are broadcast live every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, and can also be viewed online at Powerball.com. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold.
Ten Nebraska Powerball players have won a total of $357 million in jackpot prizes since the Nebraska Lottery joined the game in July 1994.
The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $782 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.