It'll cost more to enter the Mega Millions lottery in 2025

Consumers are going to have to spend $3 more on Mega Millions tickets starting in April 2025, as the company raised prices to $5 per ticket. (c) ConsumerAffairs

The cost of tickets is more than doubling but the prizes are growing too

For those who press their luck by buying Mega Millions tickets, prepare to start spending a bit more. 

Tickets for the Mega Millions are about to jump from $2 to $5 in April 2025. However, according to the company, along with the price increase, consumers can expect more – including bigger jackpots and more chances to win. 

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

What will be different?

For consumers, the biggest difference is likely going to be the price tag. The jump from $2 to $5 tickets is a 65% increase. 

However, it’s also only the second time the cost of Mega Millions tickets has increased since the current game structure was developed over 20 years ago; the last price hike came in 2017 when tickets went from $1 to $2. 

Mega Millions has some new promises in store for consumers: 

  • Better odds to win the jackpot

  • Higher jackpots more often

  • 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 – players will always win more than the price of the ticket 

The company hopes that with more chances to win, and to win more with each ticket, consumers will be more likely to spend a few extra dollars to play. The goal is to attract seasoned Mega Millions players, as well as those who maybe haven’t previously seen any value in playing. 

A history of winning

Mega Millions has produced six billion-dollar winners since 2018, including a New Jersey winner who most recently won $1.128 billion on a ticket in March of this year. 

The biggest Mega Millions winner? A Florida resident who scored a $1.6 billion win on a ticket in August of 2023. 

With the new updates to the Mega Millions, the company is hoping that more consumers across the country can join the billion-dollar winners club. 

While the changes aren’t going into effect until April 2025, consumers can still enter to win twice a week. Drawings are pulled every Tuesday and Friday night at 11:00 p.m. ET.