As the Mega Millions jackpot continues to rise to higher and higher numbers, here is what you need to know ahead of the next drawing.

It’s been a busy month for lottery players. The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at a $1.15 billion ahead of a Dec. 27 drawing, after a Christmas Eve drawing failed to yield a winner. That makes it the largest such prize for either of the two big multistate lottery games — Mega Millions and Powerball — in the holiday-filled month of December,

Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday's Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion.