Behind-the-Scenes Of The Biggest Lottery Ever

Mega Millions fever is sweeping with the country, with the jackpot for tonight's big drawing now a mind-blowing $640 million!

People are lining up coast-to-coast for the largest lottery in world history. 400 million tickets have been sold in just 48 hours.

In New York City alone, tickets are selling at the incredible rate of 1.3 million per hour.

The Boston Herald dubbed it "Megamania." The San Francisco Examiner asked its readers: "Feeling Lucky?"

Good Morning America's Josh Elliot even led a crowd through Times Square to buy tickets.

"You do feel like the Pied Piper," Elliot joked.

The Mega Millions drawing takes place at 11pm tonight in Atlanta amid the tightest security imaginable.

But what really goes on when that historic drawing is made? INSIDE EDITION got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the tight security surrounding the drawing. California lottery manager Jeff Ailes said  the security in Sacramento is just the same as at the Mega Millions headquarters in Atlanta.

Ailes showed INSIDE EDITION how the door to the Mega Millions drawing room is sealed. Security cameras and an independent auditor monitor his every move.

Inside the room are machines that spin the numbered balls. Sealed suitcases contain all of the balls stored in tubes.

Each ball is checked for the correct weight and size before it's loaded into the machine. When the "start" button is pushed, the balls come down a slot to make someone rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Many people are playing Mega Millions as part of a pool with friends or office buddies.

INSIDE EDITION spoke with Yolanda Vega, famed as the voice of the New York lottery, about what you should do to make sure that if your pool hits the jackpot, you don't miss out.

"Photocopy the numbers. Everyone in the pool should have a copy of the actual numbers. When you win, sign the ticket, put it in a safe place, talk to some proper people (lawyers, accountants), then come on in and we'll have a good time," Vega said.