One lucky lottery player could get a big gift on Christmas Eve: the Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $1 billion.

An estimated $970 million, or $439.9 million in cash, is at stake in Tuesday’s drawing, according to the lottery. The jackpot has been running since its last win of $810 million on September 10 in Texas.

Last time, no ticket matched all six numbers Drawing on Friday eveningwith white balls 2, 20, 51, 56 and 67, plus the golden Mega Ball 19.

Since the game began in 2022, only 13 Mega Millions jackpots have been won in December. If someone wins on Tuesday, it would be only the second Mega Millions jackpot win on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve 2002, someone in New York won a $68 million jackpot, but the prize went unclaimed.

Very few Mega Millions jackpots were won this year. It has only been won three times, which is the fewest wins in a single year since the game’s inception. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

According to Mega Millions, the current jackpot would be the seventh largest in history. Last year a victorious player in Florida won it biggest jackpot of all time, He won $1.602 billion in a drawing on August 8th.

Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 of 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 per game. Drawings take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. EST.

Watch out for lottery scams

If you want to play the lottery, you should be careful of lottery fraud. According to the Federal Trade Commission, lottery scams typically involve receiving a phone call, email or letter saying you have won a sweepstakes, lottery or prize. Some scams may require people to pay money to claim their winnings.

Mega Millions says that no lottery representative would ever call, text or email anyone about winning a prize. The game also points out that large jackpots attract the attention of potential cheaters.

“While people need to be vigilant at all times, this is especially true during times of larger jackpots,” the lottery’s website says.

Changes are coming to Mega Millions

Mega Millions tickets are expected to become more expensive next year. Starting in April 2025, it will cost $5 per game, more than double the current $2 per ticket.

The ticket price change will lead to this bigger jackpots and, according to Mega Millions, better odds of winning. The April change represents the second price increase since the launch of Mega Millions.

“We are creating a game that both our existing players and newcomers to Mega Millions will love and enjoy,” said Joshua Johnston, Executive Director of the Mega Millions Consortium, when the news was announced. “We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, which means that as jackpots increase, more billionaires and many more millionaires will be created. Additionally, this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes wherever Mega Millions is played.”