Mega Millions ticket price increase and changes breakdown

Mega Millions is one of America's two big jackpot games, reaching millions of players across the country. With its drawings taking place on Tuesdays and Fridays, players are given a chance to win a range of prizes, including a jackpot that starts at $50m and grows until won.

Implemented early in April this year, the Mega Millions price increase marks one of the biggest changes in the history of the game.

Mega Millions ticket price increase simplified

Many lottery players may be wondering when does Mega Millions price increase. The change to the popular lottery game was implemented with its drawing on April 8, 2025. This means that the drawing on April 4, 2025, was the last one under the Mega Millions' old prize matrix and cost of $2 per play.

As of April 8, 2025, the Mega Millions price increase date, the game changes introduced bigger prizes, built-in multipliers, a bigger starting jackpot, better odds, as well as a higher price per play. One major aspect of the changes to the game is that players can now always win more than they pay for the cost to play.

Mega Millions lottery price increase at a glance

Key changes and enhancements to the Mega Millions lottery game were introduced in April 2025. Here are some of the highlights compared to the old prize matrix:

• New starting jackpot: $50m
• Old starting jackpot: $20m
• New odds of winning the jackpot: 1 in 290.4m
• Old odds of winning the jackpot: 1 in 302.5m
• New price per play: $5
• Old price per play: $2
• New overall odds of winning any prize: 1 in 23
• Old overall odds of winning any prize: 1 in 24
• Each $5 ticket includes a built-in random multiplier that can increase the prize between 2X and 10X
• Improved odds for winning non-jackpot prizes
• Jackpots can grow faster and bigger

Mega Millions new ticket price includes a random multiplier

The Mega Millions lottery price increase effectively changed the cost for each ticket entry from $2 to $5. While this price change has drawn criticism from some lottery players, others recognized the benefits that came with the change in the price, which included better odds, including for jackpot prizes, and bigger payouts thanks to an automatically included random multiplier.

But let's break down everything that Mega Millions changed early in April when the "NEW Mega Millions" was introduced. As noted, the price per ticket was changed to $5, but one crucial aspect of the change is that players no longer need to pay to access a multiplier.

While previously, each player had the option to pay extra for the Megaplier option, which enabled them to multiply non-jackpot winning prizes, this Multiplier feature is now included in the cost of each ticket.

As a result, the Mega Millions new ticket price includes a 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X Multiplier, which is assigned for every play at the time of purchase. This otherwise means that a winning ticket can at minimum double the cost per wager and win $10 or win up to $10m from multiplying non-jackpot prizes. Under the previous prize matrix, Mega Millions paid out a minimum of $2 or a $1m in non-jackpot prizes.

April 8, 2025, marked the first drawing with the Mega Millions new ticket price of $5 per play.

Mega Millions has better odds for jackpot prizes, top prize starting at $50m

Besides the Mega Millions new ticket price, the overhaul of the game in April improved the minimum jackpot prize. Under the lottery game's previous prize matrix, jackpot prizes started at $20m and under the current and improved prize matrix, jackpots start at $50m.

Notably, the Mega Millions game changes enable the jackpots to grow faster and reach higher sums more frequently. There are also better odds of winning the top prize from Mega Millions.

The Mega Millions new ticket price of $5 per play features odds of winning the jackpot of 1 in 290,472,336. While the chances of matching five white balls between the numbers 1 and 70, along with one gold Mega Ball between 1 and 23, are still astronomical, the odds of winning the jackpot have improved from the previous odds, which were 1 in 302,575,350.

Mega Millions made this change possible by removing one of the gold Mega Balls. This means that now players need to match one gold Mega Ball between 1 and 23 instead of the previous 1 and 24.

While the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot have improved thanks to the overhaul of the lottery game, they remain astronomically low. For comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning if you live for 80 years, according to the National Weather Service, are approximately 1 in 15,300, whereas winning the jackpot has odds of 1 in 290.4m.

Mega Millions non-jackpot prizes and odds improve

With the Mega Millions new ticket price the chances of winning non-jackpot prizes have also improved. Complementing this change is the fact that now players can also win bigger non-jackpot prizes thanks to the built-in random multiplier.

While the odds of winning the jackpot have improved, the odds of scoring a tier-two prize by matching five white balls have slightly worsened. On the bright side, while previously a tier two prize from Mega Millions awarded $1m, now, the payout can be $2m, $3m, $4m, $5m or the mind-boggling $10m.

Similarly, the odds of matching five balls have slightly worsened but the odds of winning a tier-three prize by matching four balls along with the gold Mega Ball have improved. With the Mega Millions prize increase under the new matrix, such a combination would pay out $20,000, $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 or $100,000. In contrast, the prize without any multipliers previously was $10,000.

Odds within the lower prize tiers have also improved. As noted, with the Mega Millions new ticket price, players can win a minimum $10, which is double their wager. Matching only the gold Mega Ball previously paid a prize of $2. However, the recent Mega Millions game changes enable players who match the gold Mega Ball to win $10, $15, $20, $25 or even $50.

The Mega Millions lottery price increase improved non-jackpot prizes as well and now players can win double their wager, or $10 minimum and $10m maximum within the non-jackpot tiers.

Why is the Mega Millions price increase happening?

There's a number of reasons why the popular lottery game increased its price per play. The Mega Millions new ticket price brought larger starting jackpots and ones that can grow bigger at a higher frequency. It is worth noting that the increase of the prize from $2 to $5 marks only the second time the game has adjusted its price for more than 20 years. It is the first major change for Mega Millions since it adopted a new prize matrix in 2017.

Earlier this year, Joshua Johnston, the Mega Millions Consortium's Lead Director, commented on the changes to the popular lottery game. In a statement, he explained: "Beyond big jackpots, players told us they want bigger non-jackpot prizes and that's exactly what this new game delivers."

Moreover, Johnston said: "Players who had won $2 in the old game will now take home $10, $15, $20, $25 or $50 under this game. Those who had won $500 under the old rules will now take home $1,000; $1,500; $2,000; $2,500 or $5,000 in this new game."

The executive also praised the built-in multiplier that boosts non-jackpot prizes between 2X and 10X. "That's the kind of value the new Mega Millions will deliver to our players at every single drawing," said Johnston about the Mega Millions game changes.

Will the Mega Millions new ticket price bring a new record jackpot?

Currently, Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 PM ET. The Mega Millions lottery price increase does not affect the drawing days. The popular game is played in 45 states, as well as the US Virgin Islands and Washington D.C.

The game's largest jackpot to date was won on August 8, 2023. At the time, a single ticket purchased in Florida matched all winning numbers for a mind-blowing $1.602bn payout.

While that jackpot was astronomical, the Mega Millions prize increase seeks to deliver even larger top prizes. Undoubtedly, the overhaul of Mega Millions will bring excitement to lottery players across America who can benefit from better odds and higher prizes.

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