WASHINGTON — An estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot will be up for grabs Tuesday night, giving lottery players a chance to snap an unlucky streak that has stretched on for months.
Tuesday's jackpot was initially announced as a $1.05 billion prize, before the lottery raised the estimate to $1.1 billion hours before the drawing.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to roll over again and again until it reached its status as tied for the sixth-largest in U.S. history. Tuesday night's drawing will be the 30th since someone last won the jackpot.
The drought is due to a combination of poor luck and terrible odds, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $1 million to $2, are significantly better.
The $1.1 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect through an annuity, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $550.2 million.
Winners also would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What are the largest Mega Millions jackpots?
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
- EST. $1.1 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 1, 2023
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
- $656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Illinois, Kansas and Maryland)
- $648 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013 (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
- $543 million, Mega Millions, July 24, 2018 (one ticket, from California)
- $536 million, Mega Millions, July 8, 2016 (one ticket, from Indiana)
- $533 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2018 (one ticket, from New Jersey)
What are the largest US lottery jackpots ever won?
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- $1.35 billion Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
- EST. $1.1 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 1, 2023
- $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)