Mississippi Lottery Players Win Big with New Mega Millions Game

Winnings increase by 148% since the April 4 launch

JACKSON, MISS. – While the jackpot for the new Mega Millions game has not been won in Mississippi, Mississippi Lottery players have seen a 148% increase in non-jackpot prizes since the revamped Mega Millions game debuted with its first drawing on April 8. The trend of increased prizes has also been seen nationally: 

• Nationally, 1.89 million players have won $51.3 million in non-jackpot prizes. That’s a 308% increase from the $12.5 million those prizes would have been valued at in the old game.
• Also nationally, $18.8 million in prizes have been won by players matching only the Mega Ball. That’s more money awarded for the ninth prize tier alone in the new game than the $12.5 million that would have been awarded across ALL non-jackpot prize tiers in the old game matrix.
• Prizes at every non-jackpot level are paying out at a combined average of 2.6X to 7.5X the value they would have under the old game matrix, meaning prizes being won at every level are outpacing the game’s price adjustment. 
• Five people have become millionaires by matching the five white balls during a drawing. Three of them won $2 million, one won $3 million and another won $4 million. Winners bought tickets in Michigan, New York (2), Virginia and Washington.
• The first jackpot under the new matrix was won just four drawings into the new game. On April 18, a $112 million jackpot was won on a ticket sold in Ohio. Under the new game rules, the jackpot was reset to $50 million and is already up to $100 million again for the Friday, May 9, drawing.

“We anticipated strong performance from the new Mega Millions game, but the increase in prizes and consistent player wins across Mississippi in just the first month exceeded expectations,” said Mississippi Lottery President Jeff Hewitt. “It’s rewarding to see our players benefit so quickly from the enhancements made to this national game.”

Compared to the old game, the new Mega Millions features bigger prizes at every non-jackpot prize tier, improved odds to win the jackpot, better odds overall, a larger starting jackpot, faster-growing jackpots, and no break-even prizes. Prizes in the new game range from $10 to $10 million vs. the $2 to $5 million in the old game with the Megaplier option. 

With higher value prizes embedded throughout every tier of the game, tickets for the new Mega Millions game now cost $5 per play. This is only the game’s second price adjustment since the first ticket was sold more than 20 years ago.

Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, it has produced seven winners of billion-dollar jackpots, all in different states. Since the last game change in 2017 more than 1,200 players have become millionaires, an average of three millionaires per week. 

Mega Millions is a national game with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Ga.

Jackpot Update

Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $100 million with an estimated cash value of $45.3 million. Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is an estimated $82 million with an estimated cash value of $37.7 million while Lotto America’s jackpot is an estimated $33.14 million with an estimated cash value of $15.23 million, the second largest in the game’s history. The largest Lotto America annuitized jackpot of $40.03 million was won in Iowa on April 1, 2023. Tonight’s Mississippi Match 5 jackpot is an estimated $329,000.

5/9/25