Mega Millions changed shape in April 2025. The game is now five numbers from 1 to 70 plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 24, and every play costs $5 — up from $2. The price change came with a feature: the separate Megaplier add-on is gone, replaced by a multiplier built into every line at no extra cost, randomly assigned at the time of purchase and ranging from 2X to 10X.
The jackpot still starts at $50 million and rolls until it is won. Drawings are Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET. Jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336, and the chance of winning any prize is about 1 in 23.1.
What the built-in multiplier actually does
It multiplies non-jackpot prizes only, and it does not apply to the jackpot. The odds of each multiplier are:
| Multiplier | Odds per play |
|---|---|
| 2X | 1 in 2.13 |
| 3X | 1 in 3.2 |
| 4X | 1 in 8 |
| 5X | 1 in 16 |
| 10X | 1 in 32 |
Because the average multiplier works out around 3X, the effect is real but concentrated in the middle tiers. The Match 5 prize, for example, is listed at $1 million and can reach $10 million on a 10X line — but a 10X line turns up roughly once in 32 plays.
One practical consequence of the $5 price: Mega Millions is now the most expensive per-line game of the four covered on this site, and a single fixed line played at both weekly draws costs about $43 a month.
Picking numbers
The finding that applies to every draw game applies here, and it matters slightly more in Mega Millions because the main pool runs to 70. Numbers 1 to 31 are heavily over-chosen because they can represent birthdays. That leaves 39 numbers in the pool that most players ignore — well over half the range.
The same tendency shows up in the Mega Ball, where 1 to 12 is the range a month can produce. There is no way to be meaningfully unusual in a 24-number pool, so treat the Mega Ball as something you cannot influence and spend your thought on the five white balls.
A practical approach drawn from the number-selection research:
- Put at least two or three of your five white balls above 31.
- Skip 7 and its multiples if you want to stand apart from the crowd.
- Avoid patterns: straight rows, columns and diagonals on the playslip.
- Do not rule out consecutive numbers — players avoid them, so they are less crowded.
- If you play the same numbers every week, keep them. Consistency costs nothing.
What does not work
Hot numbers, cold numbers, due numbers and long-absent numbers all rest on the same mistaken idea — that the balls remember previous draws. They do not. Each draw is independent, and a number that has not appeared in 60 draws is exactly as likely next time as one that appeared last time.
The only genuine advantage your picks can create is a smaller crowd to share with if you win.
A regional note: California pays non-jackpot prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, so the fixed prize amounts listed here do not apply to tickets sold in that state.
TrendLotto.com is an independent lottery information site and is not affiliated with any lottery organization. Game rules, odds and prize amounts described here are based on published official rules and can change — always confirm current details with your state lottery before playing. No number-selection method can guarantee a win. Play responsibly; if gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.