“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium Joshua Johnston said.

A lucky lottery player may get a big present on Christmas Eve: The Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $1 billion. Tuesday's drawing is for an estimated $970 million, or $439.9 million in cash, according to the lottery.

Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve.

With no one winning the jackpot Friday, the grand prize for Tuesday’s drawing ballooned from $862 million to $944 million, according to the lottery. A jackpot winner in Tuesday’s drawing could choose to receive the money in annuitized payments or take a lump sum estimated at $429.4 million.

The Christmas Eve drawing is at 8 p.m. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302 million, according to lottery organizers.

After no winners on Christmas Eve, the Mega Millions jackpot has increased to $1.15 billion — the fifth-largest in game history.

The grand prize now rises to an estimated $42 million, with a cash option of approximately $18.8 million. /iStockphoto Mega Millions tickets sold in Florida, Minnesota and New Jersey won $1 million, just missing the $20 million jackpot,