Are you ready to be a winner? The folks who run the state lotteries across the country hope you're willing to part with twenty, forty, or even more amounts of your hard-earned money for a chance to be a multi-millionaire or even a billionaire. 

Who isn't tempted to part with spare change? To some of us, it's much more for fulfilling our material dreams. This week one person or many people could walk away with a whopping $1.55 billion. Experts say this week's lottery will be the third largest in history.

Should you play the lottery? Financial experts such as Dave Ramsey will tell you it's not a good investment and advise against it. Sports Talk Show Host Ben Mailer brags that he always plays the lottery to tell his kids how he lost a billion dollars. 

If you win, are you a loser? Experts say it comes down to making the right choice on whether to take the lump sum or the annuity payments. Yahoo News breaks down the difference between the two options. 

"Once you get the lump sum, you're forced to manage a possibly unbelievable windfall in an instant. This means if you're not making every financial move 100% correctly, you're putting as much as your entire new fortune at stake. Unless you have an army of smart financial experts and lawyers at the ready, an annuity may make the most sense."

How big is the Mega Million jackpot? How much money will you be able to take home if you choose the one-time payment over the multiple-year payments?

CBS News clarified the difference between the two types of financial windfalls. 

"A single winning ticket for the upcoming drawing would have the choice of taking an estimated lump sum payment of $757.2 million before taxes, or going with the annuity option. That consists of an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that eventually equal the full jackpot minus taxes."

The decision to take the big winnings in Idaho is up to you; however, if you can't spare the ten or twenty bucks, it's best to pass and save your money. 

What are the odds of you winning the Mega Millions?

The Associated Press breaks down the astronomical chances of winning the big one. They say your chances of winning the Mega Millions is one in three hundred twenty eight million.