They've been flocking to convenience and grocery stores across mid-Michigan, all with the same thought...

"Well hopefully I'll win," Ruby Mitchell-Coleman says.

Getting their hands on that hot Mega Millions ticket. The one piece of paper that would turn an average Joe into a multi-millionaire.

"This increase that we just put in brings us to the second largest jackpot in the history of Mega Millions," Andi Brancato of the Michigan Lottery explains.

Now that the jackpot has risen another eight million, everyone seems to be pretty excited, not only lottery aficionados, but educational officials too, who say Mega Millions will have a huge impact on schools right here at home.

"For every dollar that is spent, approximately 32 cents of that goes into the school aid fund," Brancato says.

"And as the jackpot grows, the sales defiantly increase," Martin Ackley of the Michigan Department of Education tells us.

He adds that it could mean even more money than last year's $740 million total for schools from the lottery.

"So the more people play, the more people put into the lottery, the more money that comes to schools," Ackley says.

Which has Ackley and schools in mid-Michigan hoping someone doesn't hit the jackpot, even though hundreds will have their eyes glued to the TV screen Friday with their fingers crossed.