Mega Millions Ticket Price Increasing, How Much Will It Cost?

A ticket to play Mega Millions will more than double in cost to $5 up from $2. However, there is a silver lining to paying more to play this bi-weekly game.

The official Mega Millions website reveals what they call a “new and improved” game. It officially launches in April 2025. There are improved odds to win the jackpot, bigger jackpots, and more frequently. The new game also has larger starting and faster-growing jackpots, and there’s a built-in multiplier on every play. This option automatically improves every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. A win could be upwards of $10 million for matching the five white balls. Most importantly, when a player wins, they will always win more than the ticket’s cost.

Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, explains, “We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and get excited about playing. 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.”

This is only the second time the cost of a Mega Millions ticket has increased since the first ticket was sold over 20 years ago. The website states this shift is also “the first change since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017.” More than 1,200 players have become millionaires since 2017, the last time the lottery was overhauled.

Will Larger Jackpots Draw in More Customers To Play?

PAYING TO PLAY: Lottery officials say it will now cost $5 to play Mega Millions, beginning in April, up from the current $2 per ticket. The price increase will be one of many changes to Mega Millions that officials said will result in improved jackpot odds, more frequent giant… pic.twitter.com/Jiu0D65QRJ

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 8, 2024

The New York Post reports that Lottery officials hope the larger jackpots and better chance of winning will draw in more customers even as ticket prices increase. Since the game first launched in 2002, it has produced six winners of billion-dollar jackpots. It also claims that increased revenue strengthens cash flow to state lotteries, which then use the revenue for government services.

Mega Millions is sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Typically, drawings are conducted twice a week. These are held at 11 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Georgia.