The Mega Millions jackpot has proved stubborn in recent drawings, so if you want to have a chance to take home some serious dough tonight, then make sure to buy your lottery ticket some time before the draw entry closes at 10:45 p.m. Eastern Time -- 15 minutes before the lottery's magic numbers will be determined.

For the April 21 drawing, the jackpot has reached a solid $65 million, though the winner will "only" take home about $42 million if he or she opts -- as most do -- for an immediate lump-sum payout. Otherwise, the total prize is handed over in annual installments during a 29-year period.

But before you agonize over the decision, you might want to remind yourself that your chances of winning the jackpot in the first place are about 1 in 259 million. Hitting the main prize is a true feat, but the odds of winning a lesser amount are much better at about 1 in 15.

Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at the studios of WSB-TV, Atlanta's ABC affiliate. Tickets to the game are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- a total of 45 jurisdictions.

The lottery's winning numbers from the last drawing on April 17 were 15, 18, 29, 41 and 50; the Mega Ball number was 5; and the "Megaplier" was 2, according to the game's official website. The estimated jackpot had been $55 million, but no one matched the winning Mega Millions numbers on that day, MLive noted.

The highest payout on Friday was a $1 million win for a player in Michigan who matched five numbers, but not the Gold Mega Ball, the website added. The valuable stub was purchased in Dearborn Heights, a city of about 57,000 in the Detroit metropolitan area.

David Kalanik, also from Michigan, had already managed to win $5 million by matching five winning numbers and checking the multiplier earlier this month, MLive recalled.

"I checked my ticket the morning after the drawing and just sat there in disbelief," Kalanik said. "I called my wife in to confirm I had won because I just couldn't believe my eyes," the man from from Oakland County, northwest of Detroit, added.

To see if you can follow in the winner's footsteps, below you can watch a live stream of the lottery drawings at 11 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.