The Powerball jackpot got claimed on Christmas Eve. But the Mega Millions? That dream is still very much alive.

Nobody hit Friday night's $125 million jackpot, which means Tuesday's drawing climbs to an estimated $138 million. The cash option sits at roughly $63.3 million. And somewhere out there, millions of degenerates are already planning their ticket purchases.

The Quick Hit

• Current jackpot: $138 million (cash option: ~$63.3 million)
• Next drawing: Tuesday, December 30 at 11:00 PM ET
• Friday's numbers: 9, 19, 31, 63, 64 with Mega Ball 7
• Second prize winner: One lucky player from Kentucky matched the first 5 numbers

The Numbers from Friday

The winning numbers for December 26 were 9, 19, 31, 63, and 64, with a Mega Ball of 7.

Nobody matched all six numbers to claim the jackpot, but there was one second-prize winner from Kentucky who matched the first five numbers without the Mega Ball. That's good for a cool $1 million — nothing to sneeze at, even if it's not the life-changing money we all dream about.

The jackpot has been building since a $90 million winner in New Jersey back on December 2. That winner came forward on December 9 and chose the cash option of nearly $42 million. They wished to remain anonymous, which is probably the smartest decision any lottery winner can make.

Powerball Just Reset, But Mega Millions Keeps Rolling

While everyone was focused on the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot that got claimed on Christmas Eve in Arkansas (the second-largest lottery prize in American history), the Mega Millions quietly kept building.

That's the thing about the lottery — there's always another jackpot. One dream ends, another begins. The machine never stops.

Tuesday's $138 million isn't going to generate the same frenzy as a billion-dollar prize, but it's still life-changing money. And the beautiful thing about lottery degenerates is that we don't need a billion dollars to justify buying a ticket. We'd buy tickets if the jackpot was $20 million. We buy tickets because we love the hope.

The Odds (Yes, They're Bad)

Your odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are approximately 1 in 302.6 million. That's objectively terrible. You're more likely to get struck by lightning, attacked by a shark, or become an astronaut.

But here's the thing: somebody wins. Eventually. And when they do, their life changes forever. That $2 ticket is buying you 48 hours of imagining what you'd do with $138 million. New house. Quit your job. Pay off every debt you've ever had. Buy courtside seats to every NBA game for the rest of your life.

Is it rational? Absolutely not. But neither is betting on 15-leg parlays, and we do that every Sunday.

What Happens If Nobody Wins Tuesday?

The jackpot keeps growing. The estimated prize for Friday, January 2 would likely push past $160 million, with the cash option climbing above $70 million.

Eventually someone will hit. They always do. And until then, we keep dreaming.

The Bottom Line

Mega Millions is up to $138 million for Tuesday night's drawing. The Powerball dream just ended for most of us, but the Mega Millions dream is still alive and growing.

Will you win? Almost certainly not. But for $2, you get to spend the next few days imagining a life without financial worry. That's the cheapest entertainment money can buy.

Drawing is Tuesday, December 30 at 11:00 PM ET. Get your tickets.