Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $425 Million on New Year's Day, the Eighth Largest in Game's History

Will someone out there be starting off the new year right with $425 million?

New Year's Day's Mega Millions lottery drawing is the eighth largest in the history of the game, coming on the heels of last October's historic $1.5 billion jackpot. 

The winner of that prize remains a mystery, but Tuesday's drawing is nothing to sneeze at. The drawing will be held at 11 p.m. ET. 

In the history of the game, there have been five Jan. 1 drawings, but only one has yielded a winner and that was back in 2008. 

Why have so many Mega Millions jackpots swelled to such vast amounts of late? It has to do with a recent tweak to the game's rules, according to The Washington Post. The change makes winning the jackpot far less likely, allowing the pot to grow exponentially. 

Last Friday's numbers were 9, 10, 25, 37 and 38, with a Mega Ball of 21. Prospective winners must hit all six numbers to claim the jackpot. The chances of winning are 1 in 302 million. 

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