Lottery forms are shown, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at the Presidente Supermarket in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. Mega Millions jackpot has grown to $1.55 billion, making it the third-largest ever ahead of Tuesday night's drawing.

Lottery forms are shown, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at the Presidente Supermarket in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. Mega Millions jackpot has grown to $1.55 billion, making it the third-largest ever ahead of Tuesday night's drawing. / AP

Lottery players will have another shot Tuesday night at a massive Mega Millions prize that ranks as the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history.

The estimated $1.55 billion prize has been gradually building for months thanks to 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the game's top prize was April 18.

Each drawing without a winner pushes the prize closer to the record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot that someone in California won last year.

Mega Millions jackpot winners are so rare thanks to odds of 1 in 302.6 million.

The $1.55 billion payout would go to a winner who opts for an annuity, doled out over 30 years. But people usually prefer a lump sum option, which for Tuesday's jackpot would be an estimated $757.2 million.

The money would be subject to federal taxes. Many states also tax lottery winnings.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Tags: jackpot  Mega Millions  U.S.