SACRAMENTO – Mega Millions, the lottery game that has produced a record six jackpot wins exceeding $1 billion, is getting ready for a mega overhaul with plans to be bigger and better than ever when the new and improved game launches in April 2025.
Among the enhancements, players will benefit from:
- Improved odds to win the jackpot
- Bigger jackpots more frequently
- Larger starting jackpots
- Faster growing jackpots
- A built-in multiplier on every play, automatically improving every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X – up to $10 million for matching the five white balls
- No breakeven prizes, meaning when a player wins, they’ll always win more than the cost of the ticket
When the new and improved game launches next April, tickets will cost $5 per play. This is only the game’s second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago and the first change since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017.
Mega Millions is played in more than 40 states, including California, and each jurisdiction adopts new games according to its own regulatory timelines. The California Lottery’s ability to participate is pending formal approval by the California Lottery Commission at an upcoming public meeting.
“We think this is a winning proposition for both our players and our mission to raise supplemental funding for public education,” said California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima. “With bigger jackpots that grow even faster, and better odds for players, we expect better sales for Mega Millions, and in turn, more money for schools.”
Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, it has produced six winners of billion-dollar jackpots. Since the last change in 2017 more than 1300 players have become millionaires, an average of 3 millionaires per week.
Mega Millions is a national game with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are conducted at 8 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia. Lottery profits support a wide variety of good causes and are allocated differently in each jurisdiction.