Mega Millions pauses payouts after host announces wrong number
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Mega Millions has temporarily suspended prize payments after the host called the wrong number during Tuesday night's drawing.
Lottery officials said John Crow mistakenly called the gold Mega Ball as 6 when it was actually a 9.
Players are advised to hold on to their tickets until the issue is resolved.
"On May 10, 2022, the host of the Mega Millions drawing incorrectly called the Mega Ball a 6 instead of a 9," officials said in a statement. "The 9 ball was drawn into the chamber and is the official result. The results of the drawing were audited by Preston CPA. The official results for the May 10, 2022, drawing...are the white balls 15, 19, 20, 61, and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 9. We apologize for the confusion."
There were no grand prize winners with either 6 or 9 as the Mega Ball. In New York, there were two $10,000 prizes with a 6, and 30,000 other players with smaller jackpots totaling nearly $130,000.
It remains unclear if the state would absorb that cost.
The New York Lottery issued the following statement:
"During the May 10, 2022 Mega Millions drawing, human error resulted in the incorrect input of the winning numbers in New York State, resulting in an incorrect publishing of the Mega Ball number. The New York Lottery is actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The Lottery has temporarily suspended prize payments for all Mega Millions tickets and all Mega Millions players should hold on to their tickets for the May 10, 2022 drawing until the issue is resolved."
Mega Millions is streamed at abc7ny.com/lottery on Tuesday and Thursday at 11 p.m.
You can see the Powerball drawings at abc7ny.com/lottery on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights at 10:59 p.m.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, according to the game's website.
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SEE ALSO: Why does the Powerball jackpot get so high?
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