Mega Millions lottery officials have announced some exiting "mega enhancements," which will launch next April . . . and the biggest one is a STEEP price increase.
The cost of a ticket will jump 150%, from $2.00 to $5.00. (This will be about eight years after the last increase. In 2017, it doubled from $1.00 to $2.00.)
That's a big increase, but Mega Millions says it's TOTALLY worth it, because you're going to WIN more! They claim the higher price will include:
1. Improved odds to win the jackpot.
2. Bigger jackpots more frequently.
3. Larger starting jackpots.
4. Faster growing jackpots.
5. A built-in multiplier on every play, automatically improving non-jackpot wins by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X . . . up to $10 million for matching the five white balls.
6. No break-even prizes, meaning when a player wins, they'll always win more than the cost of the ticket.
The press release says, "Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, it has produced six winners of billion-dollar jackpots. Since the [game] change in 2017, more than 1,200 players have become millionaires, an average of three per week."
An official named Joshua Johnston says the price surge is still a BARGAIN. Quote, "Spending five bucks to become a millionaire or billionaire, that's pretty good . . . you pay five bucks for your Starbucks."
Mega Millions didn't specify what the "improved odds" will be . . . but the current odds of winning are set at 1-in-302.6 MILLION.
More specifics are coming, but two things AREN'T changing: You can still only play Mega Millions in 45 states . . . you can't buy a ticket in Utah, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska, and Alabama. And Powerball will stay at $2.00 for most tickets.
(AP / Mega Millions)