Mega Millions Fever: Are We 'Suckers' for the Lottery?

OK, admit it.

Many of us have dreamed of what we would do if we ever hit the lottery.

And with the Mega Millions jackpot expected to be more than $500 million — yes, a HALF-BILLION dollars — for Friday's drawing (a U.S. lottery record!), there's likely a whole lot of dreaming going on this week.

You can expect long lines at lottery outlets today and tomorrow, especially in Georgia and here in Tucker.

But are we suckers for the lottery?

One reports suggests that Georgians may be the biggest suckers in the U.S. for playing the lottery.

Bloomberg looked at the lottery-spending habits across the country to establish its "Sucker Index," which correlated lottery expenditures, actual winnings and overall income. The index was based on 2010 statistics.

Georgia was No. 1 on the "Sucker Index," a score that divided total personal income by ticket sales minus prize money awarded.

The report said Georgians spent $3.4 billion on lottery tickets last year ($470 per adult), around one percent of their annual income. The return was only about 62 cents per dollar.