Mega Millions game enhancements coming April 5; bigger prizes

MILWAUKEE - Coming this April, Mega Millions is getting an upgrade with a built-in multiplier, no break-even prizes, and bigger, faster-growing jackpots.

Starting April 5, 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 

What we know:

• 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.

A news release from Mega Millions says 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.

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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

What we know:

• 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.

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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.