A year ago, Mega Millions lottery ticket prices increased from $2 to $5 each, along with some other changes to the lottery game.
Mega Millions officials said the changes were expected to yield bigger jackpots faster. But Mega Millions jackpot totals have been lower after a full year under the new rules.
There were four Mega Millions jackpots between $550 million and $1.2 billion in 2024, all four ranking among the 10 highest jackpots in the history of the game. Records show there has only been one jackpot since the April 2025 change that was large enough to break into the Top 10 highest Mega Millions jackpots list, in November 2025.
Here’s a look at the biggest Mega Millions jackpots of all time and the lottery game changes that took effect one year ago.
How much is a Mega Millions ticket? When did Mega Millions go from $2 to $5?
Mega Millions tickets start at $5 apiece. There is no “Megaplier” option for an extra $1 like in years past. The tickets increased from $2 to $5 in April 2025.
What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions site, players have a 1 in 290,472,336 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball.
What is the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history? Top 10 highest Mega Millions jackpots
As of April 17, 2026, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
The jackpot listed in bold is the only one on this list that came after the April 2025 ticket price change.
What were the changes to Mega Millions in 2025?
According to the Mega Millions Consortium, ahead of the change last year, the average jackpot win in the game, which was about $450 million at the time, could have risen to more than $800 million after the jackpot began resetting to $50 million instead of $20 million.
That change was expected to bring more billion-dollar-plus jackpots, but there hasn’t been a $1 billion jackpot since the ticket price increase. For reference, there were two jackpots higher than $1.2 billion in 2024 alone.
Here’s a quick look at the changes that Mega Millions made in April 2025:
Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2024, 2023
Although there were only four Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2024, two of them surpassed $1 billion. The year before also saw two jackpot wins at over $1 billion.
Here’s a look back at the Mega Millions jackpot wins in the two years leading up to the new rules, with wins of $1 billion or more in bold:
2024 Mega Millions jackpot wins
2023 Mega Millions jackpot wins
Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2026, 2025
There were six Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2025, and two of them were before the rules changed. None of them reached $1 billion.
As of April 17, 2026, there have only been two Mega Millions jackpot wins in 2026.
2025 Mega Millions jackpot wins
2026 Mega Millions jackpot wins
Powerball, Mega Millions lottery jackpots that surpassed $1 billion
While there were no Mega Millions jackpots above $1 billion in 2025, there were two Powerball jackpots in 2025 that neared $2 billion.
As of April 17, 2026, there have been 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion.
These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history:
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery, and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Did the 2025 ticket price change to Mega Millions yield bigger jackpots?
Reporting by Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
