Mega Millions Price Change: 3 More Bucks, 1 More Month

It’s been about 10 months since Lottery Geeks broke the news that the Mega Millions ticket price is increasing for only the second time in the history of the game, and now the dramatic alteration is nearly ready to become reality. We are entering the final month before the changeover occurs.

In this article, we’ll break down all the numbers you need to know. But first, the key dates to know:

• Tuesday, March 4: Last day to purchase at 10-draw ticket at the existing price
• Friday, March 21: Last day to purchase a five-draw ticket
• Tuesday, March 25: Last day to purchase a four-draw ticket
• Friday, March 28: Last day to purchase a three-draw ticket
• Tuesday, April 1: Last day to purchase a two-draw ticket
• Friday, April 4: Final draw at old price point
• Saturday, April 5: First day to purchase tickets at new price point
• Tuesday, April 8: First draw at new price point

Numbers to know

$2: Current price of a Mega Millions ticket

$5: New price of a Mega Millions ticket, effective April 5

$20 million: Current jackpot starting point

$50 million: New jackpot starting point

$2: Current minimum possible prize

$10: New minimum possible prize

$5 million: Current maximum non-jackpot prize

$10 million: New maximum non-jackpot prize

2x-10x: Range of possible multipliers for non-jackpot prizes under new pricing and rules

25: Current number of gold Mega Balls available

24: New number of gold Mega Balls available

1-in-302.5 million: Current probably of winning jackpot

1-in-290.5 million: New probably of winning jackpot with one Mega Ball removed

$59.6 million: Average jackpot size when Mega Millions tickets cost $1 (until 2017)

$203.3 million: Average jackpot size at $2 price point

$803 million: Projected average jackpot size, as calculated by Mega Millions, at $5 price point

94%: Increase in average sales revenue per drawing after 2017 price increase from $1 to $2

$1.602 billion: Current Mega Millions jackpot record (Aug. 8, 2023)

$2.04 billion: Current U.S. draw lottery jackpot record (Powerball, Nov, 7, 2022)

7: Total number of Mega Millions jackpots to date over $1 billion