“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,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release before the jackpot rose again to $1.22 billion.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday’s lottery drawing has jumped to an estimated $1.22 billion, with a cash option of $549.7 million. The winning numbers will be posted here once they are drawn at 11 p.m.

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $1.22 billion. Experts say winners should generally take the money in annuities, but that’s not what most people do.