You just won the $522M Mega Millions! Wondering what to do now? Here is how others spent their cash

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot Tuesday night amounted to a whopping $522 million – the fifth largest in the game's history.

The owner of the winning ticket, which was sold at a liquor store in San Jose, California, has yet to come forward.

That winner will receive a cash payout of $308.1 million, which can be distributed as a lump sum or in annual payments.

But either way, the winner will have some big decisions ahead.

Previous lottery winners have found many inventive ways to spend their newfound cash. Here's a look at some of the most interesting ones.

Building a new water park

John and Linda Kutey, New York residents who won the lottery in 2011, used their winnings to finance a new water park in honor of both sets of their parents.

The Kuteys donated $200,000 to build a spray pool after visiting their village hall to find out how they could use the winnings to help their community.

Getting a surprise divorce

After 25 years of marriage, Denise Rossi unexpectedly filed for a divorce from her husband, Thomas.

Rossi said she'd been unhappy in her marriage for years but decided to pull the trigger when she won $1.3 million in the California Lottery. However, she did not reveal her winnings in the divorce case, and a judge ruled that she'd violated state asset disclosure laws. Her husband then received all the winnings.

Starting a scandalous new TV show

Jonathan Vargas, a recent graduate of Airport High School in Gaston, South Carolina, was only 19 when he won the lottery in 2008.

He used his winnings to buy a TV production company and produce a new show that combined his two passions: women and professional wrestling.

The show, Wrestlicious, featured scantily clad women wrestling in staged fights. It flopped after one season.

Pursuing dreams in photography

Charlie Lagarde, an 18-year-old Canadian who won the lottery with her very first ticket, planned to use her money for travel and education and to finance her dream of becoming a National Geographic photographer.

Funding a passion for luxury cars

When Dean Allen, a printer in the United Kingdom, won the lottery in 2000, he traded his Ford Fiesta for a Porsche.

He’s bought a fleet of other cars, including a Ferrari 550, a Porsche GT3, a Bentley GT Speed, an Audi RS4 and a Range Rover Evoque.

Honoring a lucky ice cream flavor

Louise White of Newport, Rhode Island, set up a special trust after she won the lottery in 2012.

The trust was named the "Rainbow Sherbert Trust," named after the ice cream flavor she purchased at the grocery store where she also purchased her winning ticket. (The flavor at the store was also misspelled as "sherbert" instead of "sherbet.")

Hanging out with horses

Nikki Otterburn, who won the lottery in 2001, bought a seven-acre property near Thirsk, U.K., to house and train her four horses.

She spends her time preparing her prize horse, Pippin, for competition and training local riders.

Pushing for marijuana legalization

When a marijuana activist from British Columbia won the lottery in 2012, his next steps were clear.

Bob Erb, who ran for the B.C. Marijuana Party in 2001, had already run multiple campaigns to decriminalize and legalize pot. He planned to use his winnings to further that cause.

Sending a pack of Cub Scouts on vacation

British couple Thea and Paul Bristow had long been involved in the scouting movement when Thea won the lottery in 2004.

The next year, they spent 500,000 pounds to bring 50 Scouts and 30 parents to western Canada, where they saw bears and coyotes and went whitewater rafting.

WPXI