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Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Mega Millions jackpot grew closer to the $1 billion mark after the drawing late Tuesday again produced no winner. No ticket matched the winning numbers -- 3, 45, 49, 61, 69, Mega Ball 9 -- and so the pot grew to $868 million, the largest amount in the game's history.
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It's the second largest pot in U.S. history, second only to the $1.6 billion Powerball prize in 2016.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing since July 24 after 11 people who chipped into a California office pool shared $543 million, the largest prize ever from a Mega Millions single ticket.
The game's cash option is $494 million. Its next drawing is Friday night.
Meanwhile, Powerball will look for a winner Wednesday night of its $345 million pot. No one has won that game since Aug. 11.
"It's always a thrill to have both jackpots rolling, but there's an extra spark now with Mega Millions reaching a new record," Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming director, said before the drawing Tuesday.
"Everyone is talking about the jackpot and running out to buy tickets."
If no winning ticket emerges from the Mega Millions drawing Friday, it could surpass the 2016 Powerball jackpot.
