The Mega Millions lottery game is set for a major overhaul with changes taking effect following the final drawing of the current game on Friday, April 4. The updated game promises larger prizes across non-jackpot tiers, better odds, and a starting jackpot of $50 million. The first drawing under the new structure will occur on Tuesday, April 8, at 11 p.m. Eastern.
Joshua Johnston, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium, explained the changes by saying, “Beyond big jackpots, players told us they want bigger non-jackpot prizes and that’s exactly what this new game delivers.” He added that the new prize structure would increase non-jackpot prizes by 2 to 10 times. For instance, a $2 win will now yield $10 to $50, and a previous $500 win can result in a $1,000 to $5,000 payout.
The game will now feature 24 Mega Balls instead of 25, improving odds of winning any prize to 1 in 23 from 1 in 24, and the odds of hitting the jackpot to 1 in 290,472,336 from 1 in 302,575,350.
The updated Mega Millions will see a change in ticket cost, increasing to $5 per play—the second price adjustment in over 20 years. Additionally, the “Megaplier” and “Just the Jackpot” features will be retired as the new game introduces a built-in random multiplier for non-jackpot wins, ranging from 2 to 10 times the base prize. This allows prizes from $10 to $10 million, compared to $2 to $1 million in the current game.
Should the jackpot not be won by April 4, it will carry over into the new format, growing with ongoing ticket sales. Prizes from tickets issued before the change will still be paid according to the old prize matrix.
Since the launch of Mega Millions in 2002, the game has created seven billion-dollar jackpot winners in different states, with more than 1,200 millionaires emerging since the last game change in 2017.
