Powerball revealed

While drawing six Powerball numbers might look simple, you may be surprised by how much work goes into pulling it off.

Keep clicking to find out what goes into making the drawings go off without a hitch.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

The Powerball drawings occur in Tallahassee, Fla. The preparation starts two hours before the live drawing - while many last-minute tickets are still being bought.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Four people must be present to even unlock a vault where the Powerball machines, and multiple sets of lottery balls are stored. The balls used for any given drawing are chosen randomly.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Sue Dooley, senior drawing manager of the Multi-State Lottery Association told CBS News, "No one knows which machines will be used until right before the drawing."

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

The red and white lottery balls are made of rubber. Each one costs $60, has a lifespan of two to three years and weighs around 80 grams.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

The lottery balls used must be as close in weight as possible. The average difference is a mere three-tenths of a gram.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A worker tests one of the Powerball machines.

"Every player, when they put down their two dollars for a Powerball ticket, has an equal chance of winning just as much as anyone else," Dooley said.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A lottery worker assesses balls in one of the machines.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Workers doing a final rehearsal with the lottery machine.

Powerball tickets are sold in 42 of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A Powerball official's "control sheet."

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A Powerball official's computerized checklist.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Officials at the Tallahassee, Fla. drawing site are not the only ones keeping a close eye on things. There are cameras everywhere, which are monitored outside Des Moines, Iowa, at the Multi-State Lottery Association headquarters.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A surveillance feed of the lottery drawing site in Tallahassee, Fla.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Since 1992, Powerball has awarded $20 billion in prize money.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

Before the drawing on a night with a big payout, host Sam Arlen said he feels the pressure. "It's the first opportunity America gets to see the winning numbers. That's one of the coolest things about what I do. It's not in the paper the next day. ... It's not on the evening news. ... It's the first shot for many people. ... This is where you get to see if your two dollars just paid off really big."

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

A still from the Aug. 15, 2012 Powerball drawing, with an estimated total of $337 million. Lottery officials say the one winning ticket was sold at a Sunoco station in Lapeer, Mich., north of Detroit.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

The results sheet of the Aug. 15, 2012 Powerball, in which one ticket won the jackpot, estimated to be $337 million.

Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work

For more on the Powerball system, check out the "CBS This Morning" full story, "Inside Powerball: A behind-the-scenes look at how drawings work".

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