Mega Millions tickets now cost $5 per play in most states, up from the previous $2 price. This price increase occurred in April 2025 as part of a game overhaul intended to offer bigger jackpots and revised odds. The change means a single play costs $5, and many lottery sites also report that the starting jackpot has been raised (commonly referenced as $50 million) with updated odds across prize levels. Key points
- Price: $5 per Mega Millions play (per draw) across participating states.
- Start of jackpot: Typically increased starting point (often cited as $50 million) with rollovers that can reach multi-hundred-million or billion-dollar levels depending on drawings and sales.
- Odds and prizes: Overall odds of winning any prize are adjusted with the new game rules; top prize remains the jackpot, with other prize tiers reflecting new probabilities and dollar amounts.
- Multiplier: A new or enhanced multiplier option is included in some states, allowing non-jackpot prizes to be multiplied by 2–5× or higher in certain configurations.
- Draw schedule: Draws continue on scheduled days (commonly Tuesday and Friday evenings in local time, though times may vary by state).
If you’d like, I can look up the exact current ticket price and starting jackpot for a specific state or provide a quick comparison of how the new odds affect the chance of winning each prize level.
