Mega Millions price increase: Ticket prices to go up in 2025

The cost of funding your millionaire dreams through the Mega Millions lottery game will be a bit more expensive starting in 2025 as ticket prices are set to more than double next spring.

Mega Millions officials announced the price will increase from the current $2 for basic tickets to $5 beginning in April. The odds for winning will also be reconfigured.

Joshua Johnston, director of the Washington Lottery and lead director of the group that oversees Mega Millions, told the Associated Press the biggest motivation for the change was to differentiate it from the Powerball lottery game and entice more people to play who might normally pass on both games.

Johnston said research shows people who play lottery games often feel comfortable spending at least $5 on scratch-off tickets and other draw games, so the change likely won't seem as much to frequent players.

“You pay five bucks for your Starbucks,” he told the Associated Press.

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Johnston said officials are overall not concerned about a potential hit to ticket sales, as they believe the adjustments will lead to even bigger jackpots and more frequent winners. More details on the changes, including new odds for the game, are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Powerball lottery officials told the Associated Press there are currently no plans to raise prices or change odds for that game.

Tickets for both Mega Millions and Powerball are sold in 45 states along with Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball is also available in Puerto Rico.

Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern time in the studios for WSB-TV in Atlanta. The drawings are overseen by the Georgia Lottery.

Mega Millions drawings air on the local affiliate for multiple channels, including ABC, CBS and NBC.

Videos of the drawings are also available on the official Mega Millions YouTube page.

Here is the list of 13 Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2023 and 2024, according to megamillions.com:

Ray Padilla and Chris Sims contributed.