Mega Millions ticket price increasing to $5 starting in April

Mega Millions, the popular lottery game that has produced six jackpots exceeding $1 billion, is gearing up for a major revamp set to launch in April 2025. The upcoming changes promise bigger jackpots, improved odds, and more frequent opportunities for players to win life-changing sums.

Among the planned enhancements are improved odds to win the jackpot, larger starting jackpots, and faster-growing prize pools. Additionally, every ticket will come with an automatic multiplier, increasing non-jackpot winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or even 10X—offering up to $10 million for matching the five white balls. Notably, the new format eliminates breakeven prizes, ensuring that every win exceeds the cost of the ticket.

“We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and get excited about playing,” said Joshua Johnston, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, creating more billionaires and many more millionaires as the jackpots climb. Plus, this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes wherever Mega Millions is played.”

When the new version of the game launches next April, the price per play will increase to $5, marking only the second price adjustment in the game’s history. The last change occurred in 2017 when the current game matrix was introduced.

Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, the game has produced six billion-dollar jackpot winners. Following the 2017 changes, over 1,200 players have become millionaires, averaging three new millionaires per week.

Mega Millions is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, Georgia. Lottery profits from Mega Millions are allocated to support a wide variety of causes, with allocations varying by jurisdiction.

The highly anticipated changes aim to generate even more excitement among players and build on Mega Millions’ legacy as one of the world’s most thrilling lottery games.