Mega Millions to see bigger prizes, better odds, but increase in ticket price

DORCHESTER, MA (March 25, 2025) – Mega Millions, the multi-state lottery game will feature a larger price tag but bigger prizes at every non-jackpot prize tier, better odds to win the jackpot, better odds overall, larger starting jackpots, and faster-growing jackpots. The first drawing under the new prize structure will be held Tuesday, April 8, at 11 p.m. ET.

“Increased odds of winning, larger jackpots, and bigger minimum prizes are just a few of the enhancements coming to Mega Millions in April that will make it a better experience for all who play,” said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery. “Massachusetts players have enjoyed Mega Millions for over twenty years, and we are excited and hopeful to see more jackpot winners coming from the Bay State under the game’s new structure.”

A full prize matrix is available here. Other game enhancements benefiting players include:

• 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.

With higher value prizes embedded throughout every tier of the game, tickets for the new Mega Millions game will increase to $5 per play.

As part of the new game introduction, the “Megaplier” add on feature that has been available for an additional $1 will be retired and replaced with the built-in multiplier.

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. Players who have a winning ticket that was issued for a drawing prior to the game change and who claim their prize by the deadline set by their participating lottery will be paid based on the prize matrix in effect during the time of the drawing for their ticket, regardless of when the prize is claimed.

Since the introduction of Mega Millions in 2002, sales of the game have generated over $1 billion for Massachusetts cities and towns and there have been five local jackpot winners. The largest win occurred in July of 2004, when a $294 million jackpot was won on a ticket sold in Lowell. Most recently, jackpots of $33 million (Belchertown) and $31 million (Woburn) were won on consecutive Tuesdays in January of 2023. Jackpot prizes of $32 million (Dorchester) and $30.5 million (Hyannis) were won in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Mega Millions has produced seven winners of billion-dollar jackpots nationwide since the game’s 2002 launch. Since the last change in 2017, more than 1,300 players have become millionaires, including 28 in Massachusetts.

Mega Millions is a national game with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia.