$1.1 billion up for grabs in Mega Millions drawing Friday; 3rd-largest jackpot ever

July 29 (UPI) -- Who wants to be a billionaire?

That was the clarion call for millions of hopeful lottery players on Friday as they lined up to win the prize of a lifetime -- $1.1 billion -- after there were no winners in Tuesday night's drawing.

The pot is the second-largest in Mega Millions history and the third-largest of any drawing in the United States.

Mega Millions says the odds of winning the pot are 1 in about 303 million.

It took a lot of losing to grow the jackpot to this historic level. There has been no winner over the last 29 drawings -- but some have come close. Mega Millions says there have been almost 30 million tickets that almost matched the winning numbers.

"In the 29 drawings since the jackpot was last won in Tennessee on April 15, there have been more than 28.1 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 42 worth $1 million or more," Mega Millions said in a statement.

If no one wins Friday night's drawing, the next one could approach the all-time record jackpot -- about $1.6 billion, which was won by a single ticket on Oct. 23, 2018 in South Carolina.

There have been four Mega Millions jackpots this year that were won by players in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee.

Powerball, which is perhaps the best-known lottery game in the United States, presently is offering a pot worth $170 million for its next drawing Saturday.