BIG Changes Coming To New York’s Favorite Lottery Game On April 8th- You’ll Love Them

Some big changes are coming to one of New York State's favorite lottery games.

Starting April 8th 2025, Mega Millions is raising its ticket price from $2 to $5. According to CNBC, this change also boosts how much you could win. By making this change, the initial jackpot will increase, and potential non-jackpot prizes will be larger and the odds of winning most prizes will improve due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the drawing.

By shrinking the gold Mega Ball pool from 25 to 24, the odds of winning the jackpot will improve from about 1 in 302.6 million to 1 in 290.5 million. The odds of winning any prize will also improve slightly, from 1 in 24 to 1 in 23."

READ MORE: New York Ranks Among the Luckiest States in America For Mega Millions

Mega Millions Jackpots Will Now Be Bigger

With these new changes, the starting jackpot will more than double. It'll automatically raise from $20 million to $50 million. The average jackpot is expected to exceed $800 million, up from around $450 million.

Some other notable changes under the new rules:

- The minimum prize will increase from $2 to between $10 and $50, for matching the gold Mega Ball

- Matching five white balls but not the Mega Ball will pay between $2 million and $10 million, up from a flat $1 million

- The “Just the Jackpot” feature, available in some states and offering two plays for $3 but only for a chance to win the jackpot, is being discontinued.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings held at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and Fridays.