Attention Mega Millions lottery players -- the game you know and love is about to change.
According to a press release, a "new version" of the Mega Millions Lottery game will debut next month. Lottery officials say the new version will offer "bigger prizes at every non-jackpot prize tier," better odds, larger starting jackpots and faster growing jackpots.
It will also cost more to play, according to the release, with a Mega Millions ticket costing $5, up from the current price of $2. According to lottery officials, the game has only undergone one other price adjustment in the last 20 years.
"Beyond big jackpots, players told us they want bigger non-jackpot prizes and that's exactly what this new game delivers," Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium said in the release. "Players who had won $2 in the old game will now take home $10, $15, $20, $25 or $50 under this game."
Johnston went on to say that those who had won $500 under the old rules would now take home either $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, or $5,000 under the new version.
"Non-jackpot prizes at every level are going up by 2X to 10X," Johnston said.
The changes were first announced in October of 2024.
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Breaking down the big Mega Millions changes to know about
Starting with the April 8 drawing, ticket prices will increase from $2 to $5.
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The game also comes with a new prize matrix, which can be found below:
The popular, $1 "Multiplier" add-on feature is also going away, according to the release. Instead, tickets will come with a "built-in multiplier." The "Just the Jackpot" feature that was available in some jurisdictions will also be retired under the new rules, the release said.
Other game changes, according to Mega Millions officials:
- Improved overall odds – Overall odds to win any prize will improve to 1:23 from 1:24 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game
- Improved odds to win the jackpot – Odds to win the jackpot will improve to 1:290,472,336 from 1:302,575,350 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game. The new game will feature 24 Mega Balls instead of the 25 in the current game
- Larger starting jackpots – Following a jackpot win, the starting jackpot will reset to $50 million instead of the current $20 million.
- Faster-growing jackpots and bigger jackpots more frequently – Jackpots are expected to grow faster and get to higher dollar amounts more frequently in the new game. The Mega Millions Consortium estimates that the average jackpot win in the new game will be more than $800 million vs. approximately $450 million in the current game.
- 2X-10X prize increase with built-in random multiplier – Every non-jackpot win will multiply its base prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X automatically. Prizes in the new game will range from $10 to $10 million vs. the $2 to $1 million in the current game.
- Win more than the cost to play – With a minimum prize of $10 on a winning ticket in the new game, every winning ticket will pay out at least double the $5 cost for each play. In the current game, the minimum prize on a winning ticket and cost to play are the same: $2.
When do the changes take effect?
According to the release, the final drawing of the current version of Mega Millions is set to take place Friday, April 4. The first drawing under the new prize structure, officials said, will be held at 10 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 8.
"Unless someone wins the jackpot on the April 4, 2025 drawing, the jackpot from the current game will roll into the new game and continue to grow with ticket sales from the new game," the release said.
Mega Millions and its lottery counterpart Powerball are sold in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico.
Powerball has said it had no plans to increase prices.
