New Mega Millions price hike takes effect soon. What lottery players should know
Mega Millions players stand to win bigger prizes but will pay more per ticket under the new game structure.
After Friday, April 4, it will cost $5 — up from $2 — to play the national lottery game as part of a sweeping overhaul of the rules, the Mega Millions Consortium officials announced last fall.
The $3 hike marks the first price adjustment since 2017.
Beyond the price increase, officials said players can expect a higher starting jackpot ($50 million), faster-growing jackpots and better odds of hitting the jackpot.
The first Mega Millions drawing under the new game structure is Tuesday, April 8, at 11 p.m. EST, according to the lottery game’s website.
Here’s what else lottery players should know:
Mega Millions changes
As the new price increase takes effect, so do several changes that officials said will give players a better shot at winning.
“Beyond big jackpots, players told us they want bigger non-jackpot prizes and that’s exactly what this new game delivers,” Joshua Johnston, director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release. “Players who had won $2 in the old game will now take home $10, $15, $20, $25 or $50 under this game.”
“That’s the kind of value the new Mega Millions will deliver to our players at every single drawing,” Johnston said.
The “Megaplier” multiplier option, which cost an extra $1 in some states, will also be phased out, officials said. That’s because a multiplier will be built into every play, according to the release.
What’s more, the number of Mega Balls will fall from 25 to 24 to improve players’ odds of winning the jackpot, the Mega Millions website says. The odds of winning any prize will improve to 1 in 23.
The national lottery game has had seven billion-dollar jackpot winners since launching in 2002, according to the release.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won March 25 after a player in Illinois matched all six numbers, winning $349 million, McClatchy News reported.
What to know about Mega Millions
To score the jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball. The odds of scoring a jackpot prize starting April 8 are 1 in 290,472,336.
Tickets cost $5 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New Mega Millions price hike takes effect soon. What lottery players should know."