Increased Texas Winnings Follow Mega Millions Overhaul – $280,000

• The Mega Millions Game Matrix Has Now Changed

• Players Are Promised Better Odds and Bigger Payouts

• Payouts to Texas players increased by over $280,000 on Tuesday's Drawing

In October 2024, officials with the Mega Millions lottery game revealed that major changes were coming in April. This included bigger jackpots, better odds, and built-in multipliers.

It looks to be paying off, or should I say paying out, for Texas players.

READ MORE: 7 Texas Lottery Scratch-Offs You Should Buy

The new format of Mega Millions went into effect with the first drawing of the game's new prize matrix on Tuesday, April 8.  Players in Texas took home $283,496 more in prizes than they would have under the old game structure.

What Are The Biggest Changes to Mega Millions?

• Cost to Play - It now costs $5 instead of $2 to play
• Larger starting jackpots - After a jackpot win, the starting jackpot is $50 million instead of $20 million
• Improved overall odds to win - Your chances of winning any prize are still not great, but they are better. Even the odds of winning the top prize have increased a few percentage points. You'll still need to turn your phone's calculator sideways to compute the slim odds.
• Built-in random multiplier - every series of numbers you play will come with a built-in multiplier. I find this to be the most compelling change.

How the Built-In Random Multiplier Works

Previously, with Mega Millions, you could spend an extra dollar for the 'Megaplier' feature. The 'Megaplier' ball was randomly drawn and applied to any non-jackpot winning payout. Your winnings could be multiplied by 2X up to 5X.

With the new version, your $5 automatically puts you into the random drawing for each set of numbers you purchase. Those multipliers range from 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X and 10X.

For example, if the numbers in the A column had matched 3 of the 5 numbers drawn, that's worth $10. However, the 3X random multiplier would increase the payout to $30.

Mega Millions drawings now take place twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays). The next drawing on Tuesday, April 15, will have a jackpot worth $96 million.