1. Higher ticket prices. The price of a ticket goes up to $2 — from the current $1 — and players may purchase tickets for up to 14 consecutive draws. Basic tickets for Powerball have been $2 each since Jan. 15, 2012.
Multipliers of lower-tier prizes on both games remain at $1.
2. Bigger starting jackpots. Mega Millions’ grand prize will begin at $40 million instead of $15 million. That’s the amount that Powerball has had in place since Oct. 7, 2015.
3. Longer odds. To win the big prize that is drawn at 11 p.m. ET every Tuesday and Friday, players must match five white balls from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25.
The new design of the game decreases the number of white balls from 75 but increases the number of red balls by 10, so the odds of winning the jackpot increase from 1 in almost 259 million to 1 in about 303 million. Overall, the chance of winning any prize will go from 1 in 15 to 1 in 24 with the changes.
4. Better chances to win $1 million. The update will make it easier for players to win the game’s second-tier $1 million prize for matching five white balls — 1 in 12.6 million vs. the present 1 in 18.5 million, according to the New York Gaming Commission.
Other secondary prizes will have higher dollar amounts in the updated game: $10,000 for matching four white balls and the Mega Ball, an increase of $5,000 but longer odds; $200for matching three white balls and the Mega Ball, an increase of $150 with better odds; $10 for matching either three white balls (better odds) or two white balls and the Mega Ball (longer odds), an increase of $5; $4 for matching one white ball and the Mega Ball, an increase of $2 with longer odds; $2 for matching the Mega Ball, an increase of $1 with longer odds.
5. New option. In six states, a player will be able wager $3 for two entries to win the game’s jackpot. The tickets will not be eligible for any other prize level, and players won’t be able to customize their numbers.
Initially, Mega Millions games in Georgia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas will offer the Just the Jackpot option. Other lottery commissions will be able to offer it in the future.