MADISON — Coming this April, Mega Millions is getting a “mega” upgrade with a built-in Multiplier, no break-even prizes, and bigger, faster-growing jackpots.
Starting April 5, 2025, the cost per play for Mega Millions will change from $2 to $5 to help usher in several exciting game enhancements designed to improve the player experience. Key game changes players will benefit from include:
● Built-in Multipliers at no additional cost: Each $5 play automatically receives a randomly generated Multiplier (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X) at the time of purchase. The Multiplier is printed next to each play on the ticket.
● No break-even prizes: Because every play gets a Multiplier and the lowest possible Multiplier is 2X, the lowest prize a player can win is $10, doubling the $5 base prize.
● Bigger, better prizes: The starting jackpot has increased to $50 million. This means the rolling jackpots are expected to grow faster and increase more often to the $1 billion mark, or higher. Non-jackpot prizes now range from $10 to $10 million.
For each $5 play, players will select 5 of 70 numbers and then 1 of 24 numbers for the Mega Ball, or they can simply ask for a “Quick Pick” to have the terminal select the numbers for them. Winning numbers for the multi-jurisdictional game will continue to be drawn on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
“Players are going to love the new Mega Millions,” said Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin. “Adding in the Multiplier and offering bigger prizes should lead to some big wins, hopefully in Wisconsin.”
One of the biggest changes to the new Mega Millions game is the Multiplier, which can improve non-jackpot wins by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. The new Multiplier replaces the $1 Megaplier add-on feature as a built-in benefit for all players.
How the New Multiplier Works
● Each play is assigned a random Multiplier (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X) at purchase.
● The Multiplier increases all non-jackpot prizes, but not the jackpot itself.
● Match-5 prizes range from $2 million (2X) up to $10 million (10X).
● Players purchasing multiple plays may see different Multipliers on their ticket, but each Multiplier only applies to its corresponding play on the ticket.
● If a play is purchased for multiple draws, the same Multiplier applies to all drawings.
The final drawing for the current version of Mega Millions will be held on Friday, April 4, 2025. Sales for 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 at 10:00 p.m.
Starting March 11, 2025, players in Wisconsin were no longer able to purchase advance draws for Mega Millions beyond April 4, 2025. Players will again be able to purchase up to eight advance draws starting April 5.
The estimated Mega Millions jackpot at the time of the transition will carry over into the new format on April 5, unless it is won on April 4. If won, the new starting jackpot will be $50 million.
The odds of winning the jackpot will improve from 1 in 302,575,350 in the old $2 game to 1 in 290,472,336 in the new $5 game.
Additional details about the new Mega Millions game, including all prizes and odds, will be posted on wilottery.com, the Wisconsin Lottery mobile app, or in a game brochure at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.