Changes coming to the Mega Millions lottery will mean bigger payouts and better odds — but tickets for the multistate game will now sell for $5 instead of $2.
Officials say more expensive tickets will generate more revenue, which will translate to a starting jackpot of $50 million. Odds of winning the lottery will improve from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 209 million. The best-paying jackpot prize will also grow faster, in the event that a winning ticket isn't drawn at first.
Game officials are making the changes to address what they call "jackpot fatigue," in which interest in playing the lottery doesn't rise until jackpot totals reach sky-high levels. Sweeter jackpots, their thinking goes, will draw attention and ticket sales faster.
An average jackpot win will pay out $800 million, up from $450 million — and billion-dollar prizes will become more frequent.
“When you get to a billion people are like, ‘Whoa, that’s a whole lot of money,'” Washington state lottery director Johnston told The Associated Press.
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Pricier tickets will bring in more revenue for states that run Mega Millions. 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands all participate and are expected to raise more money for education, mass transit and conservation programs.
Tickets will start selling at their new price for Tuesday's drawing.
Powerball tickets, meanwhile, will continue to sell for $2 each.
