Payouts paused after host calls wrong Mega Millions Mega Ball number

By Ashley Williams
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The next Mega Millions drawing on Friday night is for a jackpot of $99 million. Despite a Mega Ball reading human error, there were no grand prize winners of the Mega Ball number 9 on Tuesday night. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
The next Mega Millions drawing on Friday night is for a jackpot of $99 million. Despite a Mega Ball reading human error, there were no grand prize winners of the Mega Ball number 9 on Tuesday night. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 12 (UPI) -- Mega Millions prize payments are temporarily on pause after a host announced the wrong Mega Ball number during the latest drawing.

"The host of the Mega Millions drawing incorrectly called the Mega Ball a 6 instead of a 9," New York lottery officials said in an apology statement of the error made Tuesday, ABC 7 in New York reported.

Mega Ball 9 was drawn into the chamber and stands as the official result, officials said, joining other winning numbers 15, 19, 20, 61 and 7.

Host John Crow mistakenly made the error, and players have since been advised to retain their tickets until the issue is resolved.

No one reportedly won the grand prize with a Mega Ball number of either 6 or 9, and the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 302,575,350, according to the Mega Millions website.

The next Mega Millions drawing, which is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the United States Virgin Islands, is scheduled for Friday night with an estimated jackpot of $99 million.

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