$2 game also benefits players with higher secondary prizes and a new wager type; change begins Oct. 28, 2017
RELEASE DATE: 10/18/2017
Mega Millions is being redesigned to bring more value to its players with larger starting jackpots and faster rolls. Starting jackpots will more than double from $15 million to $40 million, and jackpots will grow faster overall. There will be better odds to win $1 million prizes and higher secondary prizes.
The ticket price also will change, moving from $1 to $2.
In the redesigned game, players select five numbers from 1 to 70, and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Players will have a 1 in 24 overall chance of winning a prize.
Mega Millions President Debbie D. Alford said that lotteries are responding to consumers with the latest changes.
“We have a demand for innovation to keep fresh, entertaining lottery games and to deliver the attention-grabbing jackpots,” said Alford, who also is president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corp. “We’re excited to deliver the opportunity to create more millionaires and also provide more opportunities to raise additional revenues for the respected causes lotteries benefit.”
The enriched Mega Millions game will debut Oct. 28. Tickets for the game will cost $2 per play, and the new optional $3 wager Just the Jackpot allows players to receive two entries for a chance to win the game’s jackpot only. Just the Jackpot tickets will not be eligible for any other prize levels.
Mega Millions is one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable lottery games. Introduced as The Big Game in August 1996 with six member states, the game grew, becoming Mega Millions in May 2002. Mega Millions currently is played in 46 jurisdictions: 44 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot was a $656 million prize split by three winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland in 2012.
About Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, 10 p.m. Central Time, 9 p.m. Mountain Time, and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. For more information about Mega Millions, please visit www.megamillions.com.