45 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 NORTH AMERICAN NEWS Mega Millions To Get MEGA Enhancements in April 2025 Bigger jackpots, better odds, built-in multiplier to increase prizes at every level just a few of the benefits of new game coming next spring Mega Millions, the lottery game that has produced a record six jackpot wins exceeding $1 billion, is getting ready for a “mega” overhaul with plans to be bigger and better than ever when the new and improved game launches in April 2025. Among the enhancements, players will benefit from: • Improved odds to win the jackpot • Bigger jackpots more frequently • Larger starting jackpots • Faster growing jackpots • A built-in multiplier on every play, automatically improving every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X – up to $10 million for matching the five white balls • No breakeven prizes, meaning when a player wins, they’ll always win more than the cost of the ticket “We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and get excited about playing,” said Joshua Johnston, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, meaning creating more billionaires and many more millionaires as the jackpots climb, plus this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes everywhere Mega Millions is played.” When the new and improved game launches next April, tickets will cost $5 per play. This is only the game’s second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago and the first change since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017. Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, it has produced six winners of billion-dollar jackpots. Since the last change in 2017 more than 1,200 players have become millionaires, an average of 3 millionaires per week. Mega Millions is a national game with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia. Lottery profits support a wide variety of good causes and are allocated differently in each jurisdiction. Media contact: media@megamillions.com A Louisiana Lottery player has claimed victory in the NASCAR Powerball Playoff™ and the $1 million top prize! In addition to winning a VIP trip, the three lottery players eliminated in the championship drawing of the NASCAR Powerball Playoff have each won $10,000. The VIP trip included roundtrip airfare for two to Phoenix, Ariz., three nights hotel accommodations, two Ally Curve Hospitality Club passes for both the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race on Nov. 9 and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Nov. 10, two passes for VIP experiences at Phoenix Raceway during the NASCAR Championship Weekend including Cup Series™ VIP access, NASCAR team hauler tour, MRN radio booth tour, pace car rides, Victory Lane access, welcome dinner and all meals, and ground transportation to scheduled events and activities. “This weekend has been thrilling from start to finish!” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “As the official lottery game of NASCAR, this was our second year of adding to the anticipation and excitement of NASCAR Championship Weekend, while offering players the chance to win this premier experience and $1 million prize. Powerball will be back next year for a third installment of the NASCAR Powerball Playoff. Stay tuned to your state lottery for 2025 entry dates!” “This Powerball promotion has quickly become a fun, NASCAR-centric way to further engage our loyal fans and lottery players alike,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR executive vice president, chief partnership and licensing officer. “Fans should be on the lookout for lottery activations at NASCAR races throughout the country next year for new chances to win.” The four finalists entered the Powerball portion through one of 27 participating state lotteries. Participating lotteries held in-state contests and second-chance drawings throughout the 2024 NASCAR regular season to form a national pool of entrants. Sixteen lottery players were randomly selected from the national pool in a preliminary drawing to advance to a series of playoff-style drawings, with cash prizes awarded to all 16 lottery players based on their elimination position. Lotteries that participated in the 2024 NASCAR Powerball Playoff include Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hoosier (Indiana), Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Players can follow the NASCAR Powerball Playoff on Facebook, Instagram, and online at Powerball.com. Louisiana Lottery Expands Retailer Network to include Walmart and Smoke’n Go Locations PULSE of the Industry These news stories comprise a very small fraction of the gaming and lottery news stories posted every day to PublicGaming.com. Too, these stories are the highly edited short versions. You can visit our news website PublicGaming.com and access all of its departments for free, including search to read the full version of the articles. 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