(Reuters) – The fifth-largest jackpot in U.S. multistate Mega Millions history will be up for grabs on Tuesday, when one lucky winner can walk away with $1.1 billion, excluding taxes.
The top prize has ballooned after remaining unclaimed for 30 consecutive draws. The televised ceremony begins at 11pm ET (0300 GMT Wednesday) and a winning player must match five white balls from a set numbered 1 to 70, as well as one gold ball from a set numbered 1 to 25.
While large, the jackpot is still some distance away from the largest seen in a Mega Millions drawing. In Florida last year the jackpot was $1.6 billion, with the winner – who chose to remain anonymous – challenging the odds of 1 in 302.6 million.
If anyone gets lucky on Tuesday, tax authorities will pay attention. The winner can retire with $525.8 million in a lump sum or spread the payments over 30 years, paying income tax each year.
Tickets for the biweekly drawings cost $2 each and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
An $800 million Powerball drawing, one of the largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history, found no winners Monday night.
The largest total lottery prize in US history is $2.04 billion won by a lone Powerball ticket holder in California in November 2022.