If a $140 million jackpot sounds like a good start to the weekend, then you might want to play Mega Millions today. Just make sure to buy a ticket some time before 11 p.m. EST, which is when the multi-state lottery's draw is set to take place at the studios of WSB-TV, Atlanta's ABC affiliate.

If you happen to score the big prize and want to take home every last penny, the total will be paid out in annual installments over a 29-year period. Otherwise, you have the option of an immediate lump sum payout of about $82 million.

The lottery's winning numbers from the last drawing, on July 14, were 19, 24, 30, 35 and 72; the Mega Ball number was 5; and the Megaplier number was 3, according to the game's official website.

The estimated jackpot stood at $123 million, but no one matched the winning Mega Millions numbers on that day, Online Casino Archives noted. The highest payouts, thus, were two $1 million wins, and the draw produced some 1.9 million champions that shared prizes worth more than $6 million, the website added.

The last time a participant took home the Mega Millions jackpot was on June 2, when the big prize had reached a sizable $260 million -- or $158 million in case of an immediate payout; the golden ticket had been purchased at a grocery store in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island, Illinois, according to the Associated Press.

Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday, and the draw entry closes at 10:45 p.m. EST. Tickets to the game are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- a total of 45 jurisdictions. The odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 15, but your chances of hitting the jackpot are only about 1 in 259 million.

If you want to find out how close you are to a similar feat, check here to find out how to watch the Mega Millions drawings at 11 p.m. EST.