You Had One Job, Lottery Ball Caller

Mega Millions suspends payments after host mistakes a 9 for a 6
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted May 12, 2022 4:17 PM CDT
You Had One Job, Lottery Ball Caller
Stock image   (Getty/3d_kot)

The man calling the winner numbers in this week's Mega Millions jackpot made a very public mistake, one that has resulted in temporarily suspended payouts. John Crow mistook a 9 for a 6 in his televised announcement, reports CNN. As you might expect, that caused quite a bit of confusion for viewers in regard to the $86 million jackpot. "The 9 ball was drawn into the chamber and is the official result," says an official statement from the lottery, which is played in dozens of states, per ABC News.

Crow apparently didn't see the line under the number designating it as such. "We apologize for the confusion," added the statement. For the record, the winning draw was 15, 19, 20, 61, and 70, with 9 as the gold "Mega Ball." The lottery is asking people to hang on to their tickets for now until the confusion is sorted out. No word yet on whether there was a legit jackpot winner, or how many people were affected by the gaffe. (More Mega Millions stories.)

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