[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

If you entered the Mega Millions jackpot on March 6, 2007, you and at least one other person may have won its largest payout ever: a whopping estimated $370 million if taken as an annuity. Claim it as a lump sum, and you split a paltry $221.1 million. Before taxes, of course.

What are your chances of winning? About one in 176 million. Even with these odds, the size of the prize created a ticket-buying frenzy across the country. It was reported that over one million tickets per hour were sold in New York state.

Twelve states (California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington state) participate in the Mega Millions jackpot. Last night's winning tickets were bought somewhere in Georgia and New Jersey.

Whether you bought a lottery ticket or not, it’s always fun to take a moment and think what you would do with that kind of dough. You wouldn’t quit your job, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.