A flurry of lottery ticket sales ahead of Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing has pushed the estimated jackpot up to a whopping $555 million.
The prize makes it the fifth largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. Earlier Tuesday, the jackpot was estimated to be worth $530 million, the eighth highest prize amount.
Players will have a shot at matching all six numbers when the drawing is held at 11 p.m. ET.
The $555 million jackpot is for an annuity option, paid over 30 years. Winners almost always opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $$316.9 million cash.
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The current Mega Millions record is $1.536 billion, sold in Oct. 2018. Powerball holds the world record for a jackpot worth $1.586 billion shared among three winning tickets on Jan. 13, 2016.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 15, allowing the top prize to grow larger and larger over the last three months.
Such a long stretch without a winner is rare but also reflects the incredibly small odds of matching all six numbers — one in 302.5 million.
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Those prizes also would be subject to federal taxes, and most states would take a cut as well.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
