Mega Millions
The Mega Millions lottery jackpot.

Exciting changes are coming to the Mega Millions lottery next month, as the company unveils new rules that will significantly impact jackpots and prizes. Starting April 8, the minimum jackpot will more than double, jumping from $20 million to a hefty $50 million, giving players even more to play for.

The new rules, which take effect after the final drawing of the current game on April 4, are designed to make jackpots grow faster and reach higher amounts more frequently. "Jackpots are expected to grow faster and get to higher dollar amounts more frequently in the new game," the company said in a statement.

In addition to the larger starting jackpots, Mega Millions is increasing the value of non-jackpot prizes. Payouts for non-jackpot wins will now range from $10 to $10 million, a significant leap from the previous range of $2 to $1 million. Each winning ticket will also pay out at least double the cost of a ticket.

The company is also introducing a new $5 game, where players will have the chance to win big with a multiplier of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10. This multiplier will be randomly assigned at the time of purchase. Prizes for matching five white balls will now range from $2 million to $10 million, while matching the Mega Ball on its own will yield between $10 and $50, depending on the assigned multiplier.

Perhaps the most significant change, however, comes in the odds of winning the jackpot. Mega Millions has adjusted the game's format to improve players' chances, reducing the odds from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336. This is due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball, which lowers the total number of Mega Balls in play from 25 to 24.

Overall, players will also have better odds of winning any prize, with the odds improving to 1 in 23, up from 1 in 24.

With these changes, the Mega Millions lottery promises to be more exciting than ever, offering players a better chance at winning life-changing prizes.

Originally published on HNGN