Why Did the Price of Mega Millions Lottery Tickets Increase to $5?
The Mega Millions has changed the lives of many players throughout the years, which is why lotto players continue to come back to the game time and time again.
Published April 8 2025, 1:11 p.m. ET
During these extremely challenging financial times, many Americans are investing hope and looking for life-changing relief in the form of winning the lottery; however, lottery players are not too happy with the new price increase for the Mega Millions.
The Mega Millions has changed the lives of many players throughout the years, which is why lotto players continue to come back to the game time and time again in the quest to increase their bank accounts.
Why did the price of Mega Millions tickets increase to $5?
For decades, the price of Mega Millions tickets has been the standard price of $2, but that all changed on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, when the price of the lottery tickets increased to $5, leaving players less than thrilled.
According to Mega Millions, the price increase is justified. “Mega Millions has always been a game that provides great value to our players, and with this new price point, we’re able to do that at every prize level. Everyone who wins will win more in the new game. Non-jackpot prizes will be 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X and now 10X larger than they are today,” the company said in a statement on its website.
“There will be larger starting jackpots, faster growing jackpots, bigger jackpots more frequently, improved odds to win the jackpot and improved overall odds to win any prize. This is only the game’s second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago,” the statement continued.
What are the benefits of the Mega Millions price increase?
In addition to the price increase improving the odds of winning from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million, the increase also means the Mega Millions jackpot can start at $50 million instead of $20 million and a faster grand prize growth, according to The Associated Press.
The Mega Millions jackpot will now increase by a larger amount each time there isn’t a big winner, per the outlet, with officials anticipating the jackpot will hit the $1 billion threshold.
Additionally, the prizes for tickets not matching all six numbers also will increase and non-jackpot winners are guaranteed at least $10, the AP said. Each Mega Millions ticket will now include a randomly assigned multiplier that can increase a lottery prize by up to 10 times.
What has Mega Millions said about the price increase?
Speaking with The Associated Press, Mega Millions Washington state director Joshua Johnston said that he isn’t worried about backlash from players because it will benefit the game.
“People really want big jackpots. We expect to see a sales lift on this,” Johnston told the outlet. “When you get to a billion people are like, ‘Whoa, that’s a whole lot of money.’”
It remains to be seen whether or not the price increase was a beneficial decision for the Mega Millions lottery, as more than ever, Americans are tightening their purse strings and wallets amid the ongoing financial insecurity.