US multi-state lottery Mega Millions is doubling the price of its tickets next year as part of a revamp that promises even bigger jackpots for lottery players.
When the new game launches next April, tickets will more than double from their current $2 to $5 per play.
The overhaul of Mega Millions is meant to create larger starting jackpots and faster growing jackpots.
Games will also feature 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.
“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.”
The changes mark the game’s second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago, and the first change since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017, when the price of tickets increased from $1 to $2.
Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, the game has produced six winners of billion-dollar jackpots.
Since the last change in 2017 more than 1,200 players have become millionaires, at an average of 3 millionaires per week.