(NEXSTAR) — A estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot will again be up for grabs Tuesday night, giving lottery players a chance to snap an unlucky streak that has stretched on for months.
The current jackpot has steadily grown since April after a ticketholder in New York matched all six numbers to win a $20 million prize. (The previous jackpot, awarded days before on April 14, was worth $483 million.) A total of 46 players, meanwhile, have won second-tier prizes worth $1 million or more since the last jackpot was won, the Mega Millions lottery confirmed in a press release.
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.
| Largest Mega Millions jackpots | Date |
| $1.537 billion | 10/23/2018 |
| $1.348 billion | 1/13/2023 |
| $1.337 billion | 7/29/2022 |
| $1.1 Billion (estimated) | 8/1/2023 |
| $1.050 billion | 1/22/2021 |
| $656 million | 3/30/2012 |
| $648 million | 12/17/2013 |
| $543 million | 7/24/2018 |
| $536 million | 7/8/2016 |
| $533 million | 3/30/2018 |
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.
USA Mega, which tracks Mega Millions statistics, says the most common Mega Millions numbers are 17, 10, 14, 31 and 4 for the first five numbers. The most common Mega ball number is 22.
The biggest jackpot in Mega Millions history is $1.537 billion back in 2018 and was claimed by one lucky winner in South Carolina.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Tickets are $2 and there are a total of nine ways to win a prize. Drawings are held at 11 p.m. ET Tuesdays and Fridays
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
