Mega Millions Increases Ticket Price and Promises Better Odds
With ticket prices rising from $2 to $5 in 2025, the lottery offers bigger prizes and better winning odds.
The Lottery House
The Mega Millions ticket price, one of the most famous lotteries in the United States, is about to more than double, going from $2 to $5 starting in April 2025. This change marks the second time in 22 years that the cost has increased, the first being in 2017, when the price jumped from $1 to $2.
Mega Millions has justified the price increase by promising better odds of winning and even more attractive prizes. Lottery officials claim that the new game format will not only raise the starting jackpots but also ensure faster growth of the main prizes. Additionally, the "balancing prizes" will be eliminated, ensuring that all winning prizes exceed the amount paid for the ticket.
Since the current Mega Millions format was introduced, the lottery has achieved record jackpots, with six prizes exceeding the $1 billion mark, including a record $1.6 billion in 2023, won by a single ticket in Florida. According to Joshua Johnston, director of the Mega Millions Consortium, these changes aim to create more billionaires and further benefit social causes in all states where the game is permitted.
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET. More details about the changes will be released in the coming months, but the promise of larger prizes and improved odds is already generating high expectations among players.