Mega Millions Tickets Will Cost More After Changes To Produce Bigger Lottery Jackpots

Mega Millions tickets are set to get more expensive next year. Lottery officials behind the game sold in 45 states announced Monday that it will cost $5 per play starting in April 2025, more than double the current cost of $2 a ticket.

"New and improved" Mega Millions game

The ticket price increase is part of a major overhaul designed to create even bigger jackpots for the game that has produced six billion-dollar wins since it began in 2002. The last ticket worth that much was a $1.13 billion-winner sold in New Jersey in March.

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The Mega Millions Consortium says the "new and improved" game will offer larger starting jackpots that grow faster, along with better odds of winning the jackpot. More details about changes to the game will be released at a later date, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Lottery said. 

The Mega Millions currently resets to a $20 million jackpot after someone matches all five numbers and the MegaBall. 

 "We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, meaning creating more billionaires and many more millionaires as the jackpots climb, plus this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes everywhere Mega Millions is played," consortium lead director Joshua Johnston said in a statement.

Every ticket in the updated game will have a built-in multiplier to boost any non-jackpot win by up to 10X. A player who matches all five white balls could win up to $10 million.

Additionally, the consortium said every win will add up to more than the cost of buying a ticket, which means "no breakeven prizes."

Second-ever price hike for Mega Millions

The last time Mega Millions raised the price to play was in 2017, when tickets went from $1 to $2. 

The origins of Mega Millions date back to 1996 when Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia teamed up to create the Big Game. Other states that now sell Mega Millions tickets include New York, Pennsylvania, California, Florida and Texas.

The Powerball, which also sells tickets for $2 in 45 states, has no plans to make changes to its format at this time, the Massachusetts State Lottery said.