How Much Does A Mega Millions Ticket Cost?

Last Updated on November 8, 2025 | Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness: March 2026
Written by Alec Pow – Economic & Pricing Investigator | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

A Mega Millions ticket costs $5 per play in all participating jurisdictions as of April 2025. That single price now includes a built-in multiplier that applies to all non-jackpot prizes, replacing the old $1 Megaplier add-on. The minimum prize is $10 at 2×, and the multiplier can be 2×, 3×, 4×, 5× or 10×. Official odds for the jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336 under the updated rules. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern. You can buy in 45 states plus D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Article Highlights

• The base price is $5 per play, nationwide.
• The Megaplier add-on is gone, replaced by a built-in 2×–10× multiplier for non-jackpot prizes.
• Retail totals are straightforward, but courier fees can lift a two-board order to $12.50.
• Jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336; overall odds improved to roughly 1 in 23.
• Cheaper alternatives exist, like Powerball at $2 and CA SuperLotto Plus at $1.

How Much Does A Mega Millions Ticket Cost?

At a retail counter, the “sticker price” is straightforward: $5 per play. Your total changes if you buy multiple boards, more than one drawing, or if you use a licensed courier app that adds a convenience or processing fee. Prices add up fast. For example, the courier Lotto.com discloses a 25% convenience fee on draw ticket orders, and Jackpocket notes a service fee either at deposit or checkout; in both cases, the fee is separate from the state ticket price.

Three quick “receipts,” all for Tuesday’s draw:

1. One board, retail counter: $5 total.
2. Five boards, retail counter: $25 total.
3. Two boards through a courier that adds 25%: ticket subtotal $10, fee $2.50, $12.50 total. Those fees vary by provider and state, and they do not come out of any prize you might win. Some states and apps also have purchase minimums for online orders. Play responsibly.

Where and how to buy

You can buy Mega Millions at in-state retailers or, where allowed, via official state lottery websites and apps. A growing number of states also authorize third-party “courier” services, such as Jackpocket, that purchase a paper ticket on your behalf from a local retailer. Couriers charge for that convenience, typically a percentage fee or a deposit fee disclosed before checkout, which is why an online order can cost more than a counter sale even though the base ticket is still $5.

Mega Millions is sold in 45 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern, and ticket sales stop shortly before draw time; cutoffs vary by jurisdiction, so a good practice is to buy earlier in the evening. If you travel, note that you must buy the ticket in a participating jurisdiction. Check the official Where to Play map and your state page for app availability, cutoffs, and any location-specific quirks.

Add-ons and play types

In the 2025 overhaul, the Megaplier add-on was retired and replaced by a built-in random multiplier on every ticket. That multiplier, shown on your ticket, applies automatically to non-jackpot prizes and can be 2×, 3×, 4×, 5×, or 10×, with published multiplier odds. Because the multiplier is included, there is no separate add-on charge, and there are no “break-even” wins anymore. The smallest win is $10 (2× the old $5 base prize), and second-tier wins can reach $10 million at 10×.

Other play choices can change your total, but not the per-play base price. Examples include buying multi-draw tickets for several consecutive drawings or creating a subscription in states that offer it. If you order through an authorized courier, expect the service to apply its own processing or convenience fee on top of the state ticket price. For details on fees or subscription rules, check your state lottery or the Virginia Lottery page before you check out.

Real prices by example

States publish the same $5 base price, though their sites explain local features differently. In California, the New Mega Millions page spells out $5 per play and highlights the embedded multiplier. California also reminds players that non-jackpot prize amounts are pari-mutuel in that state, so actual payouts can vary from the national fixed amounts.

In New York, the Mega Millions game page lists “One Play: $5,” with the current matrix and draw schedule. Meanwhile, Virginia explicitly notes “Each play (six numbers) costs $5,” and sells at retailers, vending machines, and online through the state app and website, which is helpful for travelers or office pools splitting payments digitally. Right after the change, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth logged 18,158 winners in a single post-update draw in Texas.

Price history and rule changes

You might also like our articles on the cost of a slot machine, playing bingo, or getting lottery tickets.

The last decade featured two major price points. From 2017 through early 2025, a Mega Millions ticket was $2, with an optional $1 Megaplier. On April 5, 2025, the game relaunched at $5 per play, with the multiplier embedded on every ticket, a higher starting jackpot ($50 million), improved overall odds of winning any prize (1 in ~23), and new jackpot odds (1 in 290,472,336) due to one fewer Mega Ball, as covered by CBS News and Axios.

That jump from $2 to $5 is a +150% increase. Officials and state lotteries framed the change as a value trade for players because non-jackpot prizes are now larger and always exceed the ticket price, and because jackpots may climb faster thanks to the revised structure. The old Megaplier add-on, the two-play “Just the Jackpot” option, and break-even wins were removed. State pages, including the Wisconsin Lottery, summarized the shift leading into the first drawing under the new rules on April 8, 2025.

Value math

Lotteries are entertainment, not investments. The expected value of a single board is negative even with a higher minimum prize, because the extremely long jackpot odds dominate the math. Still, “value” can be explained in plain terms using the posted odds and a headline jackpot. Suppose the jackpot is $843 million with a posted cash option and the published jackpot odds above, as reported by ABC News; the implied “cost per $1 million of jackpot expectation” is far higher than the $5 ticket price once you factor the probability.

One way to see the scale: even if every non-jackpot tier is richer and multiplied randomly from 2× to 10×, the average non-jackpot return remains small relative to the price, and most tickets will not win, which is why responsible play means setting a budget you can afford to lose, understanding that the built-in multiplier, better overall odds, and faster-growing jackpots improve the experience but do not turn Mega Millions into a positive-EV game for individual players.

Budgeting and smarter play

Think in monthly budgets, not drawings. A casual player might set $10–$20 per month for two to four plays when jackpots interest them. An office pool with ten people can stretch reach by buying, say, 10 boards for $50 per draw, which is just $5 per person, but payouts must be split, and agreements should be written. If you prefer set-and-forget, some states offer subscriptions that pre-buy several drawings.

Two simple ways to trim spend without skipping drawings: play fewer boards per draw, or skip low-interest weeks and buy only when the jackpot crosses a personal threshold. If you use a courier app rather than a retailer, remember that fees make your effective cost per play higher than $5. If your state lottery sells tickets online, compare state fees or minimums with any courier’s published fee schedule before you choose a channel.

Alternatives

If your priority is the lowest price per play, Mega Millions is no longer the cheapest national draw. Powerball remains $2 for a standard play, with an optional Power Play add-on in many states. Many state-only draws are even cheaper, such as California SuperLotto Plus at $1 per play, though jackpots are smaller and odds differ.

Answers to Common Questions

Can I buy Mega Millions tickets online where I live?
In some states, yes. Check your state lottery’s website or app, or the official “Where to Play” map for authorized channels.

Do courier apps add fees to the $5 ticket?
Yes. Couriers charge convenience or processing fees in addition to the state ticket price, often disclosed at checkout or when you fund your wallet.

Does the multiplier increase the jackpot?
No. The built-in multiplier applies only to non-jackpot tiers, up to 10×, with published multiplier odds.

What are the draw days and cutoff times?
Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern. Cutoff times vary by jurisdiction, so check your state page before buying.

Are there still break-even wins?
No. Under the 2025 rules, the smallest prize is $10, always above the $5 ticket price.