The Mega Millions® jackpot has swelled to $363 million for Tuesday night's drawing, making it the third largest jackpot in game history.
The winner can elect a cash option of $255 million.
Tickets have been selling quickly in South Carolina.
"When we post a jackpot of this magnitude, it gets attention. Those that don't play very often decide to take a chance," said the Lottery's Executive Director Paula Harper Bethea in a press release. "As always, we encourage players to please, above all else, play responsibly."
The odds of winning the jackpot are long, about 1 in 175 million.
South Carolina started offering Mega Millions in January 2010. The state has yet to produce a jackpot winner. A Beaufort man won $250,000 in the March 20 drawing. Friday night's drawing produced a $10,000 winner in South Carolina.
"We hope a South Carolinian will be the one to stop this jackpot run," said Bethea. "A $356 million jackpot is exciting for our players and this state, but the real winner is education."
You have to buy a ticket by 10 p.m. Tuesday for the 11 p.m. drawing.
Mega Millions tickets cost $1. Players can buy the Megaplier® for an extra $1 to multiply their non-jackpot winnings by the Megaplier number selected. Match 5 white balls with Megaplier to win an automatic $1 million.
