All About The Prizes & Odds Of Winning In The Upcoming Mega Millions Redesign

With less than 2 weeks to go until the redesign goes live in the Mega Millions® game, here are the details you'll want to know.

On April 5, sales will begin in the $5 Mega Millions game. The jackpot in the revamped game will start at $50 million, there will be bigger prizes at all 9 of the game’s prize levels, and the multiplier will be built into all plays.

Let’s break that down, one a piece at a time.

Some folks have told us they don’t understand what a built-in multiplier means. Maybe the best way to explain it is to show what a ticket in the new game will look like.

The image to the right is of a ticket with 5 plays on it for the new Mega Millions game. As you can see, the multipliers on the ticket are: x2, x5, x4, x10 and x3.

The number represents the amount that any non-jackpot prize you win on that play will be multiplied. The multiplier is randomly assigned and automatically included in each play.

There will no longer be a separate Megaplier number selected as part of the drawing, because the multiplier will be determined on a play-by-play basis. 

For tickets containing multiple plays, the multipliers on the ticket can repeat, be different, or all be the same.

In the current version of Mega Millions, the multiplier costs an extra $1 per play and nonjackpot prizes in the game are multiplied by 2-5 times. In the revamped game, a 10x multiplier also will be added in.

The Prize Structure & Odds Of Winning

So what does that mean for prizes? To start, there will be no break-even prizes. The smallest amount you can win in the redesigned game is $10 – that’s twice the purchase price.

In the revamped game, the Mega Millions jackpot will start at $50 million (more than double the current game’s starting jackpot amount) and grow until someone wins it. Then it will reset to $50 million and begin to grow again.

And while the Mega Millions jackpot of course will be big, non-jackpot prizes in the revamped game can be up to $10 million! So even if you don’t win the jackpot, be sure to check your ticket after each drawing for any prize you may have won.

Below is the complete prize structure in the redesigned Mega Millions game. With the built-in multipliers, the amount you can win at the game’s initial 8 prize levels will have a big range. Be sure to check your tickets carefully! (And as with today's version of the game, the multiplier does not apply to the game’s jackpot.)

The Odds For The Multiplier

The chart at the right shows the odds for a particular multiplier number being included in your play.

Do the details involved mean that the multiplier more often will be a 2 or a 3? Yes.

But any of the multipliers have a shot.

When The New Version Of Mega Millions Will Debut

The final drawing in the existing version of Mega Millions will be held on Friday, April 4. Sales in the $5 version of the game begin the next morning, on April 5.

The first drawing in the revamped game will be held on Tuesday, April 8. Drawings in Mega Millions will continue to be held twice a week at 10 p.m. central time on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Once the new version of the game goes live, the temporary limit on advance plays in it will be lifted. You’ll again be able to buy Mega Millions tickets in Iowa for up to 10 drawings in advance.

The temporary limit, called a step down, has been in place for about a month in Iowa to ensure that no one mistakenly ends up with an invalid play when the revamped game begins.

 

*The jackpot prize will be divided equally among multiple winners based on the amount available in the game’s jackpot prize pool. The game’s total prize pool is estimated to be 55 percent of Mega Millions sales, but may be higher or lower based upon the number of winners at each guaranteed prize level, as well as the funding required to meet the official advertised jackpot. The official Mega Millions grand prize annuity amount is subject to change based on sales forecasts and/or actual sales. Reminder: The multiplier does not apply to the jackpot.

**The set prize amounts published here are based on the expected number of winners sharing in the prize pool. For any drawing, if prize liability exceeds the percentage of the prize pool allocated to the set prize levels, then all prizes except the jackpot prize may become pari-mutuel and would be lower than these prize levels.

Comments

[Lisa Scharfenkamp]

Alot

[Mike Shannon]

I have played this game since it started rarely miss a drawing. But I am not going to pay $5 for a ticket. No I don't do Starbucks or smoke either. Will just play Powerball.

[Shelby]

We are disappointed that the price has raised. We never bought the extras. It makes it harder for some people to play...

[Mitch]

No matter what, you still have a slim chance to hit anything!

[Marcia Jenn]

You people complaining about $5.00 for a ticket, probably, have no problem paying $5.00 for a Starbucks, a beer, a pack of cigarettes or a mixed drink and NONE of those offer you a chance to win money.

I will give it a try and see how it goes!
Who couldn't use even a few more dollars than you paid to win it? You can't take it with you!