Draw 17 has come and gone, and once again no player managed to hit the Mega Millions jackpot -- a feat unaccomplished since March 24. The good news for those feeling lucky this time around is that the lottery's big prize has therefore cracked the $200 million threshold.

If someone takes home the pot tonight, he or she will have the choice between an immediate payout of a lump sum of $130 million and having the total of $214 million handed over in annual installments over a 29-year period. Before you agonize over that decision, however, you might want to consider that the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 259 million.

Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday, and the draw entry closes at 10:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets to the game are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- a total of 45 jurisdictions. And while hitting the jackpot is a true feat, the odds of winning any prize are much better at about 1 in 15.

The lottery's winning numbers from the last drawing on May 22 were 3, 14, 15, 25 and 48; the Mega Ball number was 8; and the Megaplier number was 5, according to the game's official website. The estimated jackpot had been $194 million, but the highest payouts were two $1 million wins for players in Massachusetts and New York who matched five numbers -- but not the Gold Mega Ball, MLive noted.

If you have bought a ticket in hopes of converting yourself into a multimillionaire tonight, the time to tune in is 11 p.m. Eastern Time; that is when the current drawing will take place at the studios of WSB-TV, Atlanta's ABC affiliate. Can't wait to find out if you hold a slip worth millions? You can watch a live stream of Friday's drawing at 11 p.m. Eastern Time below.