The Mega Millions lottery held its first drawing with a new $5 ticket price on Tuesday night, following a series of tweaks announced by game officials to improve the odds of winning the jackpot, which are now 1 in 290,472,336. The changes include removing one gold Mega Ball from the mix, reducing the total number of Mega Balls from 25 to 24. Before the price increase, tickets had cost $2 each.
The lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, Joshua Johnston, stated that players wanted bigger non-jackpot prizes, which the new game aims to deliver. The starting jackpot has been raised to $50 million, with the estimated jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing set at $54 million.
This isn’t the first time the Mega Millions game has undergone changes. In 2017, the ticket price doubled from $1 to $2, with starting jackpots increasing to $40 million. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the starting jackpot was reduced to $20 million with no minimum jackpot increase, and it now grows based on ticket sales.
The game officials believe that these changes will provide a better overall gaming experience for players, offering improved odds and bigger prizes beyond just the jackpot. The drawing on Tuesday night marks the beginning of this new era for the Mega Millions lottery.
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