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Louise Thomas
Editor
The Mega Millions jackpot is preparing for a massive overhaul.
Since 2021, the Mega Millions jackpot has been hitting big, with five of the games’ top 10 jackpots surpassing the $1bn benchmark, leaving the odds ever in the public’s favor. But this year, the game is kicking things up a notch, switching everything from the odds, jackpots, gameplay, and payouts to how much you’ll be paying for the ticket.
On Monday, October 7, Joshua Johnston – the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium – announced in a Nexstar press release that players could expect some of these big changes.
“We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and get excited about playing,” he said in the statement. “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.”
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million right now, which is worse than Powerball’s 1 in 292.2 million. Although details remain under wraps, changes to the odds are coming. Ohio Lottery officials have claimed the odds will improve to 1 in 290 million, while South Dakota claims their odds will shift to 1 in 278.4 million. These tweaks are designed to generate “bigger jackpots more often, larger starting jackpots, and faster growth.”
Starting in spring 2025, Mega Millions players will see an exciting new feature: a built-in multiplier on every ticket, boosting non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or even 10x, according to a press release. Matching all five white balls could now net players as much as $10m.
The multiplier will be randomly assigned to each ticket, adding more unpredictability to the game. A spokesperson for the South Dakota Lottery confirmed to Nexstar’s KELO that the multiplier will be randomly assigned for each ticket, adding a new layer of unpredictability to the game.
Not only that, but the days of “breakeven prizes” – where players can win back the cost of their ticket – will be over. Now, matching only the Mega Millions number will no longer cover a player’s ticket price – unless you land a multiplier, in which players can win $4, $6, $8, or $10. Though Mega Millions hasn’t revealed the specifics of the new prize structure, one thing is clear: these upgrades will come with a price tag of $5 per play.
For now, the Mega Millions jackpot stands at an enticing $129m, with a cash value of $62.3m for those looking to take the lump sum. Drawings are every Tuesday and Friday at 11pm ET, giving players chances twice a week to strike it big. Tickets are priced at $2 per play or $3 if you opt for the Megaplier, which can multiply non-jackpot winnings. Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, so there’s plenty of opportunity for players to test their luck.
