By Todd Northrop

As tickets for the multi-state Mega Millions jackpot pump out of lottery machines across the United States, the question on lottery players minds is just how high will the jackpot go before the drawing on Tuesday night.

One lottery official says that Mega Millions ticket sales easily could push Tuesday's jackpot above last year's record $656 million prize.

No ticket matched the six numbers needed to win Friday's $425 million prize. It was raised Saturday to $550 million for Tuesday's drawing — the fourth largest in U.S. history.  Monday, the lotteries raised the estimated jackpot once again to $586 million.

The lump-sum cash value of the jackpot is now estimated to be $316.5 million.

Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery and Mega Millions' lead director, told the Associated Press on Sunday that sales were up by as much as 20 percent over weekend numbers and were expected to spike on Tuesday, the day of the drawing.

"I think we'll be very close to the record, and maybe even surpass it," Otto said, adding that sales are difficult to predict.

"Lotto players are procrastinators. They tend to buy on the day of the draw," she said.

As of Friday, players had bought enough tickets to cover roughly half of the 259 million possible number combinations, Otto said.

A winner with a ticket matching all six numbers would have the choice of a full jackpot in 30 annual payments or a cash option of more than $316 million, before taxes.

The drawing is at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

Lottery players seeking to check the winning numbers Tuesday night are urged to use USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  State lottery Web sites are normally sluggish or brought to a standstill during busy periods, while USA Mega normally remains responsive.

Mega Millions drawing results will be posted immediately after the 11:00 pm drawing at USA Mega. The number of winners and new jackpot will be announced after all participating states have reported their data, which normally occurs within a few hours after the drawing.

Tickets will remain on sale typically until 10:45 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, although players should check with a lottery retailer in their state for the exact sales cutoff time. Players are advised not to wait until the last minute.

The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 259 million. The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are 1 in 14.7.

Mega Millions tickets cost $1 each. For an extra $1 per ticket players can purchase the Megaplier option, which multiplies any non-jackpot won by up to 5 times, depending on the Megaplier number drawn that evening.

The only state that does not offer the Megaplier is California, because state law banning fixed lottery prize amounts is not compatible with the fixed nature of the Megaplier payouts.

Lottery players can see an after-tax analysis of the current Mega Millions jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page.

Mega Millions features nine different prize levels, ranging from $1 all the way up to the jackpot. Players can win even if they just match one number — the Mega Ball number.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 4th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States.  That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

1. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
2. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
3. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
4. Mega Millions: $586 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
5. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
6. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
7. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
8. Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
9. Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
10. The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
11. Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
12. Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
13. Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
14. Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
15. Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
16. The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
17. Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
18. Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
19. Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
20. Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
21. Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
22. Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
23. Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
24. Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
25. Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Mega Millions: 9
• Powerball: 14
• The Big Game: 2

The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002.  The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.

Top 25 cash value jackpots

Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.

Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 4th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

1. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
2. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
3. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
4. Mega Millions: $316.5 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($586 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
5. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
6. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
7. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
8. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
9. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
10. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
11. Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
12. Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
13. Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
14. Mega Millions: $194.4. million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
15. Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
16. The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
17. Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
18. Mega Millions: $168 million cash, July 2, 2004 ($294 million annuity) - Massachusetts
19. Mega Millions: $167.7 million cash, Feb. 22, 2008 ($275 million annuity) - Georgia
20. Powerball: $166 million cash, Aug. 25, 2001 ($295 million annuity) - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
21. Mega Millions: $165.2 million cash, May 4, 2010 ($266 million annuity) - California
22. Powerball: $164.4 million cash, won Oct. 19, 2005 ($340 million annuity) - Oregon
23. Mega Millions: $164 million cash, Feb. 28, 2006 ($270 million annuity) - Ohio
24. Powerball: $161.5 million cash, July 29, 1998 ($295.7 million annuity) - Indiana
25. Mega Millions: $156.1 million cash, Sept. 16, 2005 ($258 million annuity) - New Jersey