Virginia Lottery announces Mega Millions ticket price increase from $2 to $5

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Lottery has announced that single-play Mega Millions ticket prices will be increasing from $2 to $5 next week. There will also be other adjustments, including bigger prizes, a larger starting jackpot and changes to winning odds.

According to an announcement from the Virginia Lottery on Wednesday, March 26, after the last drawing of the current game on Friday, April 4, the first drawing with the new ticket price will occur at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

This marks the second price adjustment ever since the current game matrix was adopted in 2017, according to the Virginia Lottery.

There will also be several game enhancements, which include:

• Odds to win the jackpot will improve to 1 in 290,472,336 from 1 in 302,575,350
• Overall odds to win any prize will improve to 1 in 23 from 1 in 24
• The starting jackpot will reset to $50 million instead of the current $20 million after a win
• Jackpots are expected to grow faster and reach higher dollar amounts more frequently
• With a minimum prize of $10 on a winning ticket in the new game, every winning ticket will pay out more than the $5 cost for each play, rather than the current cost of $2

“Virginians have supported the Mega Millions game since we were one of the game’s founding states in 2002,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones. “We think our players will be excited by a new and improved version of the game.  Virginia has had nine Mega Millions jackpot wins over the years and hopefully will have more in the future. Of course, as with all our games, the profit from the sale of each ticket goes to support our K-12 public schools.”

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, and drawings are held at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday. The Virginia Lottery says that all its profits benefit K-12 education in the state, raising more than $934 million in 2024. This comprised about 10% of Virginia’s K-12 school budget.

For the full prize matrix, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website. For a complete list of state lottery funds distributed to school districts in the state, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page.

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