News writer, Interviewer
The doubters are eating their words.
Mega Millions officials just dropped some serious numbers that prove their controversial game overhaul is paying off for players. After 20 drawings under the new rules, non-jackpot prizes have increased by 347%. Players have pocketed more than $112 million in prizes compared to what would have been just $25 million under the old system.
The Mega Ball alone crushes old game totals
Here's the jaw-dropper: Players who matched only the Mega Ball have won $45 million. That's $20 million more than all non-jackpot prizes combined would have been under the old matrix. The lowest-tier winners are taking home more cash than every non-jackpot winner used to get combined.
Even the $10 minimum prize level has doubled in value. Players have won $14 million at this tier versus $6 million under the old game.
The 10X multiplier delivers big wins
Nearly 145,000 players have cashed in with the new 10X multiplier. These lucky winners have collected a combined $9.75 million. The old system maxed out at 5X, so this upgrade gives players double the multiplier potential.
The multiplier distribution tells an interesting story, too. After 20 drawings and nearly $70 million in prizes, the 2X multiplier has produced $34,966,644 in winnings, while the 3X multiplier hit $34,895,904. That's less than $71,000 separating them.
Bigger prizes across the board
The new Mega Millions doesn't mess around with prize amounts. Non-jackpot prizes now range from $10 to $10 million. The old game topped out at $1 million for non-jackpot wins.
Five players have already hit the Match 5 level since the changes. Three won $2 million, one scored $3 million, and another grabbed $4 million. Those winning tickets came from Michigan, New York, Virginia, and Washington.
After just four drawings, the first jackpot under the new system landed in Ohio. That winner walked away with $112 million.
Improved odds sweeten the deal
Critics focused on the price increase but ignored the better odds. The jackpot odds improved from 1 in 302.6 million to 1 in 290.5 million. Overall winning odds jumped from 1 in 24 to 1 in 23. The new game uses 24 Mega Balls instead of 25, which drives these improved odds. Jackpots also start at $50 million now instead of $20 million, creating bigger starting prizes that grow faster.
Early results silence the critics
After one month of the new format, the numbers don't lie. Over 1.89 million players have won non-jackpot prizes totaling $51.3 million. Those same prizes would have been worth just $12.5 million under the old rules.
That's a 308% increase in just four weeks.
Players matching only the Mega Ball have won $18.8 million. This single prize tier has generated more winnings than all non-jackpot tiers combined would have under the old system. The built-in multiplier has created almost 60,000 winners who got their prizes multiplied by 10X. These players have collected over $3.8 million across various prize levels.
The verdict is in
Lottery officials took heat for raising ticket prices to $5. Players complained about the changes before seeing the results. Now, the data speaks for itself.
Tonight's drawing offers an estimated $280 million annuity jackpot with a $126.1 million cash option.
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