Mega Millions Jackpot at $363 Million, Could Grow

This morning, the Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday night was estimated at $356 million. That number is now at $363 million, and it could continue to grow, depending on sales.

The jackpot stands as the drawing's third-highest in history. In 2007, the jackpot was $390 million. Winnings were split between a New Jersey player and a Georgia player. The second-highest jackpot occurred in January of last year - $380 million.

Nationwide, so far, the big drawing has brought in over $695 million is sales. In New Jersey alone, that number is more than $46 million.

Judy Drucker, Public Relations Manager for the New Jersey Lottery, said the exciting thing about popular drawings is that more sales equals more money for the state.

"From this roll, the state will receive approximately 19.5 million dollars," Drucker said. The big prize has rolled over 17 times since last hit.

Mega Millions is a multi-state jackpot game with drawings twice a week. A player would purchase a lottery ticket and must match all five numbers on their ticket, plus the Mega Ball number, for the jackpot. Prizes are also awarded for matching a smaller amount of numbers.