Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1.1 billion after three months with no winner 

Mega Millions jackpot just hit $1.1 billion after no winners have claimed the prize in three months, making it the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history and the third-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.

After there was no lucky winner on Friday’s drawing, the jackpot increased to $1.1 billion for Tuesday night’s drawing, if the winning number takes the prize as an annuity spread over three decades. Winners could also have an option of taking $576.8 million in cash after taxes.  

The possibility of earning more than a billion dollars is enticing more people to participate in the lottery and buy tickets for the next bi-weekly drawing.

"This is where we start to see sales start to really accumulate in between each of these drawings and if the sales support raising the jackpot, they'll increase it," Doug Lloyd, a communications specialist for the Maryland lottery, said.

The lottery first hit its $1 billion mark for the first time on October 23, 2018, with a record-setting prize of $1.537 billion. Two other jackpots also make the list with $1.05 billion on January 22, 2021, and $1.337 billion on July 29, 2022, claimed by an anonymous ticket owner from Illinois. 

If no one wins tonight, the jackpot is expected to increase to 1.35 billion dollars. The drawing is set for 11 p.m. EST. 

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.