New Mega Millions increase odds, better prizes

Yahoo

08-04-2025

(COLORADO) — Colorado Lottery players are about to get luckier, as the New Mega Millions begins in Centennial State on Tuesday, April 8, with the first drawing under the new prize structure at 9 p.m.
The game now features better odds to win the jackpot, better odds overall, larger starting jackpots, and faster-growing jackpots.
'Beyond big jackpots, our players told us they want bigger prizes overall, and that's exactly what this new game delivers,' said Tom Seaver, senior director of the Colorado Lottery. 'Players who had won $2 in the old game will now take home $10, $15, $20, $25, or $50 under this game. Those who had won $500 under the old rules will now take home $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, or $5,000 in this new game. Non-jackpot prizes at every level are going up by 2X to 10X. That's the kind of value the new Mega Millions will deliver to our players here in Colorado at every single drawing.'
Game enhancements benefiting players also include:
Improved overall odds: Overall odds will improve from 1:24 to 1:23 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game
Improved odds to win the jackpot: Odds to win the jackpot will go to 1:290,472,336 from 1:302,575,350 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game.
Larger starting jackpot: Following a jackpot win, the starting jackpot will reset to $50 million instead of the current $20 million.
Faster-growing jackpots and bigger jackpots more frequently. The Mega Millions Consortium estimates that the average jackpot win in the new game will be more than $800 million.
2X-10X prize increase with built-in random multiplier
Win more than the cost to play
With higher-value prizes throughout every tier of the game, tickets for the new Mega Millions game will increase to $5 per play. According to the Colorado Lottery, this is the second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago and the first since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.