Mega Millions is, alongside Powerball, the second big US jackpot lottery – and since 8 April 2025 a markedly different game from before: the ticket costs $5 instead of $2, the multiplier is included in every game, the Mega Ball pool was reduced from 25 to 24, and the minimum jackpot is $50 million. This guide explains the new rules, recalculates every prize level and soberly assesses what the reform means for your chances. Many older articles online still describe the game as it was until 2025 – so watch the date. As of October 2026; rules can change, so check them at megamillions.com.
📋 Mega Millions at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | 5 from 70 (white balls) + 1 from 24 (Mega Ball) |
| Jackpot odds | 1 : 290,472,336 (before 2025: 1 : 302,575,350) |
| Odds of any prize | about 1 : 23.07 (before 2025: 1 : 24) |
| Ticket price | US$5 per game, multiplier included |
| Draw days | Tuesday and Friday, 11:00 PM Eastern Time (studio in Atlanta, overseen by the Georgia Lottery) |
| Operator | Consortium of the participating US lottery corporations (Mega Millions Consortium) |
| Since | 1996 (originally "The Big Game", Mega Millions since 2002) |
| Minimum jackpot | $50 million (annuity) |
| Largest jackpot | $1.602 billion (August 2023, Florida) |
The figure "1 : 302.6 million" and the "$2 ticket with optional Megaplier" date from October 2017 to April 2025. If you use data from articles, tip sites or tables that do not state the draw date, check them against the current rules.
🎯 How Mega Millions Works Step by Step
The game flow
- Choose 5 numbers from 1 to 70 and 1 Mega Ball from 1 to 24 – or use Easy Pick (random selection).
- One game costs $5. The multiplier is assigned automatically; you do not have to add it.
- On Tuesday and Friday five white balls from 70 and one Mega Ball from 24 are drawn. The order of the white numbers does not matter.
- All five white numbers plus the Mega Ball win the jackpot; there are nine prize levels in total, the lowest being the Mega Ball alone.
- Without a jackpot winner the jackpot rolls over to the next draw.
🔑 The Special Feature: The Built-in Multiplier
⚡ How the multiplier has worked since 2025
The Megaplier used to be an optional extra for $1. Today it is part of every $5 game: all prizes except the jackpot are multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. The multiplier is assigned at random. According to the odds published by the lottery corporations, the chances are 15/32 for 2x, 10/32 for 3x, 4/32 for 4x, 2/32 for 5x and 1/32 for 10x. On average the multiplier is therefore exactly 3 – in a single case, though, usually just 2x or 3x. The second prize (5 matches without the Mega Ball) thus rises from $1 million to up to $10 million.
💵 Jackpot, Annuity and Lump Sum
The advertised jackpot is the annuity: 30 annual instalments, each 5% higher than the last. Alternatively there is a lump sum as a present value – for the record jackpot of $1.602 billion that was $794.2 million, just under half. Depending on the state the choice must be made within a deadline after winning or in advance. Tax consequences depend on the state and your place of residence; no legal or tax advice is given here.
💰 All Prize Levels and Odds
| Match | Odds | Base prize | With multiplier (2x–10x) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Mega Ball | 1 : 290,472,336 | Jackpot | Jackpot (unchanged) |
| 5 | 1 : 12,629,232 | $1,000,000 | $2–10 million |
| 4 + Mega Ball | 1 : 893,761 | $10,000 | $20,000–100,000 |
| 4 | 1 : 38,859 | $500 | $1,000–5,000 |
| 3 + Mega Ball | 1 : 13,965 | $200 | $400–2,000 |
| 3 | 1 : 607 | $10 | $20–100 |
| 2 + Mega Ball | 1 : 665 | $7 | $14–70 |
| 1 + Mega Ball | 1 : 86 | $7 | $14–70 |
| Mega Ball only | 1 : 35 | $5 | $10–50 |
Source of base amounts and odds: published prize tables of the US lottery corporations for the new game (including South Dakota Lottery, as of October 2026). We recalculated the odds from the combination counts ourselves; they agree apart from rounding. Some states (e.g. California) pay the lower levels as a share of the prize pool, where amounts can differ. The right-hand column applies the multipliers 2x to 10x.
Roughly every 23rd game wins something, at least double the base amount. Adding up all levels except the jackpot at their base amounts and the average multiplier of 3 gives roughly $1.10 per $5 game – about 22% of the stake (our own calculation before tax). For comparison: with Powerball it is about $0.32 per $2 game (16%). The rest hangs on the jackpot, which at 1 : 290 million is extremely unlikely.
📊 Analyse Mega Millions yourself
Frequencies, Hot & Cold, overdue numbers and a number generator for 5 of 70 + Mega Ball
To the Mega Millions page📜 History and Reforms
Mega Millions began in August 1996 as "The Big Game" in six US states and was renamed Mega Millions in 2002. The ticket first cost $1, from October 2017 $2 with a larger number field, which let jackpots grow. On 8 April 2025 the latest reform followed: price $5, multiplier included, Mega Ball pool 24 instead of 25 and the abolition of "break-even" prizes where you merely got your stake back. Official reasoning: bigger jackpots and higher prizes at the lower levels. The record jackpot of $1.602 billion fell in August 2023 in Florida; the second largest ($1.537 billion) in October 2018 in South Carolina.
🆚 Mega Millions Compared
| Lottery | Format | Jackpot odds | Price per game | Draws/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Mega Millions | 5 of 70 + 1 of 24 | 1 : 290.5M | $5 | 2 |
| 🇺🇸 Powerball | 5 of 69 + 1 of 26 | 1 : 292.2M | $2 | 3 |
| 🇪🇺 EuroMillions | 5 of 50 + 2 of 12 | 1 : 139.8M | €2.50 | 2 |
| 🇩🇪 Lotto 6aus49 | 6 of 49 + Superzahl | 1 : 139.8M | €1.20 | 2 |
The core difference to Powerball: the jackpot odds are practically equal, but Mega Millions costs 2.5 times as much per game and pays higher amounts at the lower levels in return. Per dollar staked, the chance of the jackpot is therefore clearly better with Powerball. The European counterpart with twice as good odds is described in Eurojackpot vs. EuroMillions, the German game in the Lotto 6aus49 guide.
⚖️ Honest Note: Chance Stays Chance
Every draw is an independent random event. No system, no hot-&-cold analysis and no AI increases the chance of the jackpot; every combination has the same probability of 1 : 290,472,336. The multiplier is pure chance too – you cannot influence it. A jackpot in the hundreds of millions does not change the chance of winning, it only raises the amount if you do win, which is split between several winners and shrinks considerably with the lump sum and taxes. The expected value is below the stake. Only play with money whose loss you can bear, and set a budget. This article is neither legal nor tax advice.
How to recalculate such probabilities yourself is shown in Lotto winning chances; a sober assessment of common systems is in Lotto strategies.
💡 Who Is Mega Millions Suited For?
- ✅ Players who want higher secondary prizes – the multiplier lifts every level except the jackpot
- ✅ Fans of simple price models – one price, one game, no extra options any more
- ✅ Analysis enthusiasts – a 5-of-70 field plus a small Mega Ball pool as a playground
- ⚠️ $5 per game is more than double Powerball for almost the same jackpot odds
- ⚠️ The reform has been in force only since April 2025; long-term statistics contain both rule sets
- ⚠️ From Germany/Europe: Officially Mega Millions is sold in the US. From here it runs through online ticket services that, depending on the provider, buy tickets or bet on the results; prizes are then paid by the provider. Check the licence, fees and your legal situation yourself – we do not sell tickets and give no legal advice.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Mega Millions
When is Mega Millions drawn?
Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM Eastern Time, so around 5:00 AM the next morning (Wednesday and Saturday) in Central Europe.
What does a game cost?
$5, multiplier included. Online ticket services may charge additional fees.
What changed in April 2025?
Price from $2 to $5, multiplier in every game instead of an option, Mega Ball 1–24 instead of 1–25, new base amounts, minimum jackpot $50 million, better overall odds.
Can I choose the multiplier?
No, it is assigned at random. On average it is 3.
Is Mega Millions or Powerball better?
The jackpot odds are almost identical. Mega Millions pays more in the secondary levels but costs 2.5 times as much. Which game suits you is a matter of budget and preference, not of better odds per dollar.
Do some numbers come up more often?
Short-term differences in frequencies are chance; they allow no prediction of the next draw. Besides, the number field was changed in 2017 and 2025.
🏁 Summary
Since April 2025 Mega Millions is a more expensive but more balanced game: higher secondary prizes thanks to the multiplier, a slightly better jackpot chance of 1 : 290,472,336 and a minimum jackpot of $50 million. The price per game has more than doubled; the expected value nevertheless stays below the stake. Anyone taking part should see it as entertainment with a fixed budget. You will find more countries in New international lotteries 2026 and all articles in the blog.
Sources: prize tables and announcements of the US lottery corporations for the game from April 2025 (including South Dakota Lottery, California Lottery), Wikipedia (history, records), as of October 2026; odds and expected value are our own calculation (binomial coefficient).