WASHINGTON — Lottery players have yet another chance to snag a billion-dollar prize as Mega Millions’ jackpot surged to an estimated $1.1 billion ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing. 

The jackpot is the sixth largest U.S. lottery prize and the fourth-largest in Mega Millions history.  July has been a hot month for lottery prizes after a ticket sold in downtown Los Angeles won the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot. 

Mega Millions hasn’t seen a grand prize winner since April 18, when a 71-year-old man from New York won the state’s largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Johnnie Taylor of Howard Beach in Queens, New York, won $476 million but opted for the cash option — a lump sum of more than $157 million after taxes.

Since mid-April, there have been 29 drawings without a grand prize winner. 

Winners almost always take the cash option, but they do have a choice to instead get the full amount in regular payments over 29 years. The cash option for Tuesday’s drawing is $550.2 million.

The winning numbers were: 8-24-30-45-61 Mega Ball: 12 and Megaplier: 4 .

Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
4. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
5. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
6. Estimated $1.1 billion, Powerball, Aug. 1, 2023 
7. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
8. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
9. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
10. $754.6 million, Powerball, Feb. 6, 2023 (one ticket, from Washington state)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.