The first Mega Millions drawing under revised rules resulted in Texas players winning an additional $283,000 in prize money, according to the Texas Lottery.
On Tuesday, the Mega Millions lottery changed its structure, raising the ticket price from $2 to $5. The odds of winning the jackpot also improved, going from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million. The lottery explained that the higher ticket price means the jackpot now starts at $50 million and is expected to grow faster, with more jackpots likely to exceed $1 billion.
In addition to the jackpot changes, prizes for tickets that don’t match all six numbers also increased. Players who win smaller prizes are now guaranteed at least $10, thanks to a built-in multiplier randomly selected for each play. This change significantly boosted winnings for Texas players, with total prize amounts increasing by $283,496 compared to the old game rules.
The Texas Lottery reported that the multiplier, which can range from 2X to 10X, boosted all non-jackpot prizes. In total, 18,158 winners across six different non-jackpot prize tiers in Texas won $350,934. Under the previous system, these same winners would have only earned $67,438.
“We are thrilled that our players are winning larger prizes under the new Mega Millions structure,” said Ryan Mindell, executive director of the Texas Lottery. “Players are collecting prizes that are two, three, four, five, and ten times larger than before. This money really makes a difference to our players, and we’re seeing the joy it brings to them.”
Under the new rules, non-jackpot prizes now range from $10 to $10 million, compared to the previous range of $2 to $1 million. There are no break-even prizes in the new system.
With no jackpot winner in Tuesday’s drawing, the next Mega Millions drawing on Friday is estimated to be worth $72 million, with a cash value option of $34.3 million.
