Mega Millions launching game enhancements

Beginning Saturday, April 5, players may purchase tickets for the new version of Mega Millions. The game will feature bigger prizes at every non-jackpot prize tier, better odds to win the jackpot, better odds overall, larger starting jackpots, and faster-growing jackpots.

The first drawing under the new prize structure will be held Tuesday, April 8, at 10 p.m. CT/9 p.m. MT. A full prize matrix is available here. Other game enhancements benefitting players include:

Improved overall odds – Overall odds to win any prize will improve to 1:23 from 1:24 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game.

Improved odds to win the jackpot – Odds to win the jackpot will improve to 1:290,472,336 from 1:302,575,350 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game. The new game will feature 24 Mega Balls instead of the 25 in the current game.

Larger starting jackpots – Following a jackpot win, the starting jackpot will reset to $50 million instead of the current $20 million.

Faster-growing jackpots and bigger jackpots more frequently – Jackpots are expected to grow faster and get to higher dollar amounts more frequently in the new game. The Mega Millions Consortium estimates that the average jackpot win in the new game will be more than $800 million vs. approximately $450 million in the current game.

2X-10X prize increase with built-in random multiplier – Every non-jackpot win will multiply its base prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X automatically. Prizes in the new game will range from $10 to $10 million vs. the $2 to $1 million in the current game.

Win more than the cost to play – With a minimum prize of $10 on a winning ticket in the new game, every winning ticket will pay out at least double the $5 cost for each play. In the current game, the minimum prize on a winning ticket and cost to play are the same: $2.

With higher-value prizes embedded throughout every tier of the game, tickets for the new Mega Millions game will increase to $5 per play. This is only 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.

Unless someone wins the jackpot on the April 4 drawing, the jackpot from the current game will roll into the new game and continue to grow with ticket sales from the new game.

The State’s General Fund receives 70 percent of net revenue from Mega Millions and the South Dakota Lottery’s other lotto games. The remaining 30 percent is distributed to the State’s Capital Construction Fund.

Mega Million is a national game with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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