How Much Would You Spend for A Chance to Win $640 Million?

Updated at noon: Lotto officals say the jackpot now stands at $640 million.

If Lotto fever hasn't hit you yet, you must be buried under a rock or just not be the "money type," because tonight's Mega Millions jackpot is worth a world record breaking $640 million, crushing every previous jackpot in all of human history.

The jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing grew quickly Thursday, with lottery officials saying the prize had reached more than half a billion.

According to the California Lottery, the cash payout for a single
jackpot winner in tonight's drawing would be at least $462 million. If a winner
chooses the annual payment option, it would be at leas $24.6 million a year for
26 years -- before taxes. The retailer who sells the winning ticket will
receive a bonus of $1 million.

The retailer who sells the winning ticket will receive a bonus of $1 million.

What Are My Odds of Winning?

The odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega number is 1 in 175,711,536, according to the Mega Millions website. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 40. The Mega Millions game is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

However our partners at Daily Finance have given us a little bit of perspective via a recent report out of Bloomberg. 

Compare the odds of winning tonight's jackpot -- 1 in 175,711,536 -- versus the odds of some other activities:

A little bit of a reality check? Maybe. But that likely wont stop anyone from thinking they're "the lucky one."

Lotto Fever Spreads Throughout Southland

Lottery fever has gripped Southern California and hopeful players across the country. For Tuesday's drawing, which had a jackpot of $363 million, the California Lottery's website registered 1 million hits between 8 and 9 p.m., with people trying to find the winning numbers.

There have been 18 Mega Millions draws without a jackpot winner, leading to Friday's record-breaking prize.

The previous largest Mega Millions jackpot was $390 million for the March 6, 2007, drawing. The Jan. 4, 2011, drawing had a $380 million jackpot. The numbers drawn Tuesday were 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and the Mega number was
24.

There were 47 tickets sold with five numbers, but missing the Mega number, including nine in California. The ones sold in California are each worth $308,573, while the other 38 are each worth $250,000, a California Lottery official announced.

One of the tickets with five numbers, but missing the Mega number was sold at Surf Liquor in Santa Monica, while a second was sold at Stopper Liquor in Placentia.

The holders of the winning ticket from Santa Monica -- a group of co-workers at an unidentified business -- claimed their prize Wednesday. The winners called themselves the "Lincoln 10."

California law requires most major payoffs of lottery games in the state to be paid on a pari-mutuel basis.

The Lucky Lotto Spots in Cerritos-Artesia

So maybe you're banking on a lucky rabbit's foot or crazy haired troll doll to bring you tonight's magic numbers. But have you ever wondered where some of the luckiest Lotto retailers are in the Cerritos-Artesia area?

Here are three local Lotto vendors that have had their share of a-lotto luck:

•  in Cerritos: 
•  in Cerritos: 
•  in Cerritos: 

- City News Service contributed to a portion of this report.