Poll: Have You Bought a Mega Millions Ticket?

With the Mega Millions jackpot currently at a record high of over $540 million, the lottery craze has hit. Many have been buying tickets with the hopes of winning big in Friday's drawing. 

People will be stopping by convenience stores today, spending anywhere from a couple of bucks to a couple hundred on Mega Millions tickets. For many who buy in just when the stakes are big, it's all for fun. 

Hate you tell you this, but the odds are stacked against you. In fact, an AOL Finance article said the chances of winning are statistically impossible.

One in 18 million will win the California Super Lotta Jackpot, according to AOL Finance. The article states that by comparison, a person is more likely to do the following things, by these odds:

• get a flesh-eating bacteria — 1 in 1 million
• die in a plane crash—1 in 355,318
• be struck by lightning—1 in 10,000

Bloomberg created a "sucker index," a state-by-state glimpse at the amount of lottery prizes awarded in relation to the amount spent on tickets. The personal income of residents in that state is also taken into consideration. 

Georgia ranked number one on Bloomberg's "sucker index," followed by Massachusetts and then by New York. 

Illinois ranked 16th on the "sucker index." For spending on Lottery tickets, Illinois ranked 22nd with total ticket sales at nearly $2.2 million and total payouts at nearly $1.3 million.

In terms of spending, Illinois residents annually spend $225.92, or about 0.40 percent of their annual income on Lottery tickets, according to Bloomberg. That is a far cry from Massachusetts, where adults annually spend $860.70 on tickets, or about 1.30 percent of their personal income.

We don't mean to be cynics and totally crush your dreams of riches. Somebody has to win, right? It could be you!

Vote in the poll - tell us if you plan on buying a ticket. And share in the comments section, what would you do if you beat the odds and won the $500 million?