Winning Mega Millions numbers drawn for estimated $785 million jackpot
The first Mega Millions game of the new year is among its largest, with an estimated $785 million jackpot.
The winning numbers for Tuesday's jackpot were 25, 29, 33, 41 and 44 and the Gold Mega Ball number was 18.
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.
"On only three previous occasions has the Mega Millions jackpot gone beyond $700 million, and all three times those rolls continued on past $1 billion," Mega Millions said.
The most recent time was in July, when an anonymous ticket owner in Des Plaines, Illinois, won a historic $1.34 billion prize.
The Mega Millions jackpot is the largest since a single ticket in California won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot on Nov. 8. A winner has yet to be announced.
MORE: Single ticket wins record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot
The odds of winning the Mega Millions' top prize are 1 in 302.6 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The next drawing is Friday at 11 p.m. ET.
Winning Mega Millions numbers drawn for estimated $785 million jackpot originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
