Today's your last chance to enter a Mega Millions drawing for $2.
Friday, April 4 is the final Mega drawing before the lottery rolls out a new version and prize structure in its next drawing on Tuesday, April 8.
Going forward, tickets will cost $5 instead of $2, but the lottery says players will have improved odds to win, along with larger starting and faster-growing jackpots. The average jackpot is expected to top $800 million, up from around $450 million. Every ticket has a random multiplier, and there's one less gold Mega ball.
A $10 prize in Friday night's jackpot, for example, could be worth $20, $30, $40, $50 or $100 in the upcoming Tuesday drawing, depending on the multiplier. See more information on the prize levels here.
The price hike isn't the only change. These are the notable other new rules, according to CNBC:
- Minimum prizes jump from $2 to between $10 and $50, for matching the gold Mega Ball
- Matching five white balls but not the Mega Ball pays between $2 million and $10 million, up from $1 million
- The "Just the Jackpot" feature, which was only available in some states, is gone
Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET. The game is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lottery officials say that any ticket purchased before the change will be paid out based on the old prize structure regardless of when it is claimed.
