Mega Millions host John Crow calls wrong Mega Ball number in Tuesday’s drawing; lottery pauses payouts

NEW YORK — 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. The jackpot was an estimated $86 million with a cash option of $49.1 million, according to Mega Millions.

Players are advised to hold on to their tickets until the issue is resolved.

“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,” officials said in a statement.

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.