The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed past the half-billion mark once again, and once again ticket sellers are seeing a jump in ticket purchases.

Angelica Johnson, a cashier at TNT Beer & Tobacco in Ardmore, Tennessee, said she doesn’t know exactly how many lottery tickets they’ve sold for the drawing tonight, but it’s been “lots.”

“A lot of novices come out whenever it gets over $400 million,” said Johnson, who works as a cashier. “That’s usually when we see lots of people coming in who don’t normally play, and a lot of people will only play when it gets higher. Around $400 million is when we really see it uptick.”

The estimated jackpot for tonight’s drawing is $512 million.

Jiffy Adams, who manages TNT, said the days leading up to a big prize drawing are usually fun.

“Especially when it gets really busy,” she said, “because everybody is in a really good mood and wanting that money. Everyone’s laughing and joking.”

According to the Mega Millions website, only two Tennesseans and one Alabamian have ever won the jackpot. Adams said while they haven’t sold a multimillion-dollar-winning ticket, they have sold plenty worth multiple thousands.

“The biggest one I remember is $200,000,” Adams said. “We’ve sold lots of $10,000 tickets, a $19,000 — that was Tennessee Cash and kind of a weird number, $19,137 — and the $100,000 Powerball one was fairly recent.”

Johnson said it’s a great conversation starter, asking people what they would do with their winnings.

“You learn a lot about someone’s character when you start asking what they’d do with $512 million,” she said.

In Tennessee, lottery winners are treated as a matter of public record. Johnson said she plays when the prize gets big, but if she ever won, her plan is to stay as anonymous as possible.

“I would want to maintain anonymity and become, like, the mailbox fairy,” she said. “I know you’re not supposed to put things in people’s mailboxes, but how cool would it be to just, like, shove some cash in an envelope and leave it for someone?”

Adams said she would build an animal sanctuary.

“Humans suck,” she said. “I’d give almost all my money to the animals, except what I needed to live off of.”

Tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is at 10 p.m. Winning numbers can be found at www.megamillions.com or on Page 2A of The News Courier.