(news nation) — Think you're lucky this Christmas? The Mega Millions jackpot has increased to $1 billion.
This is the seventh time in the game's history that the grand prize in Tuesday night's Christmas Eve drawing has topped $1 billion. According to the lottery. The cash option is $448.8 million, and the winning numbers will be announced at 11:00 PM ET.
If someone wins, it will be the largest December Mega Millions prize ever, and only the second time it has been won on Christmas Eve.
Overall, this year has been a bad year for lottery players. The Mega Millions jackpot has only been won three times, which is the lowest number of wins in a single year since the game's inception.
Not that surprising considering the odds. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
If you look at it objectively, you're more likely to: struck by lightning Or being attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park (1/3.5 million).
The last jackpot was won on September 10th in Texas. Since then, 29 draws have been held, but no one has won the grand prize.
Tuesday's jackpot is the seventh largest in Mega Millions history, according to the lottery.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 each.
