Mega Millions Jackpot Sets Lottery Record, Soaring Past Half Billion Dollar Mark

As the old saying goes, "you gotta play to win," and right now people have a LOT to play for with the Mega Millions lottery jackpot soaring past the $500 million dollar mark. This is the highest lottery jackpot of all-time and people are buying tickets like crazy for their chance to cash on Friday's half billion dollar drawing.

On Tuesday's drawing, the winning numbers for the $356 millon Mega Millions lottery jackpot were 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and Mega Ball 24. According to officials, those numbers did not produce a winner causing the jackpot to grow to an estimated half billion dollars; the largest ever.

While there are nine ways to win a prize, starting from $2, ticket buyers across the country have their eyes on the $356 million jackpot, which has been growing since Jan. 24. That's when Mega Millions had its most recent jackpot winner, Marcia Adams, 33, from Georgia. She won $72 million and chose the cash option of $52 million.

The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are approximately 1 in 40.

[via ABCNews]

Here's a scenario. Imagine if you won the $500 million dollar jackpot - which has a cash option of $359.4 million - but you only had ONE week to spend it all. You couldn't give it to someone to "hold" and give back to you at a later date. Anything you couldn't spend or give away permanently, would be taken back. You would have exactly 7 days to spend $360 million. What would you spend it on? What would be the first thing you would buy?

Comment below now, and share with your friends to see how they would spend the cash!