Mega Millions starts new year with estimated $785 million jackpot
The Mega Millions jackpot stands at an estimated $785 million ahead of Tuesday night's drawing. The first Mega Millions game of the new year is among its largest, with an estimated $785 million jackpot ahead of Tuesday night's drawing. It's the fourth-largest jackpot in the lottery game's 20-plus-year history and the sixth-largest jackpot in U.S. history. MORE: What comes next for the lucky Mega Millions winners who become wealthy overnight? The estimated $785 million prize can be paid with annual checks over 29 years or in a lump cash sum for an estimated $395 million. The Mega Millions jackpot has continued to balloon over the past two-and-a-half months, with 22 drawings since the jackpot was last won on Oct. 14. A person holds a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Tempe, Ariz., on Dec. 30, 2022. Ross D. Franklin/AP "On only three previous occasions has the Mega Millions jackpot gone beyond $700 million , and all three times those rolls continued on past $1 bi...