The Powerball drawing being
conducted at the 2006
Iowa State Fair.
You’re at home with the TV on and the Powerball drawing comes on at its regular time. The music starts, the jackpot amount is announced, the numbers are drawn and it’s over in a minute. It’s such a regular part of life, it doesn’t look like it’s that much work.
But it’s a lot more complicated than you might think. And no, those aren’t ping pong balls in the drawing machine.
Did you know that the machines and the sets of numbered balls used in the Powerball drawings are kept in a double-locked and sealed vault, and are only taken out of the vault when the drawing manager, security officer, and independent auditor all are present?
And contrary to popular belief, the numbered balls in the drawing machines are not ping-pong balls. They’re actually made of rubber and have to meet exact specifications. For example, each ball is tested annually by the Iowa Department of Transportation Weights and Measures Laboratory in Ames. They are weighed and measured to ensure they meet precise size, weight and density specifications and then x-rayed at a medical center to make sure they have no flaws and there is nothing hidden inside them.
Four sets of balls are used in the Powerball drawings along with multiple sets of machines. The machines and balls used in each drawing are randomly selected and everything that happens with them once they’re out of the vault is recorded on audio and video.
Each Powerball drawing is held at 9:59 p.m., but the officials in charge of the drawing begin a pre-show testing process about 1½ hours before that. The entire show is rehearsed, the machines are tested four times to ensure the balls are all dropping randomly -- and everything is under the careful supervision of an auditor and security officer to ensure tight security.
The Powerball drawings all are open to the public, so if you ever want to attend, you can see in person all that goes on with millions of dollars on the line. Just drop a note to [email protected] to let the folks who run the drawings know you’d like to attend.
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