An estimated $785 million Mega Millions jackpot set for Tuesday night will give lottery players a chance to start the new year with a lucrative bang.

The big prize is the sixth-largest jackpot in U.S. history and has grown so large because no one has matched all six of the game�s numbers for more than two months. There have been 22 straight drawings without a big winner, allowing the prize to roll over and become ever-larger.

The jackpot-winning drought isn�t surprising given the miserable odds of one in 302.6 million of winning the top prize.

The $785 million jackpot is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for a cash payout, which for Tuesday night�s drawing would be an estimated $395 million.

The jackpot is the largest since someone in California won a record $2.04 billion Powerball prize on Nov. 8. There still has not been an announced winner of that jackpot.

(AP)