All news

Montana Millionaire gets a makeover with five $1 million prizes in 2025

Officials scramble to add 120,000 more lottery tickets after unprecedented demand.

The Montana Millionaire logo over a yellow background.
Samantha Herscher

The Montana Lottery Commission just approved big changes for Montana Millionaire 2025. Five $1 million grand prizes. More tickets. Better odds.

What drove these changes? Last year's game sold out in under three hours.

Five million-dollar prizes headline the 2025 changes

The Commission voted unanimously on June 12 to approve the 2025 game design. Here's what changes:

  • Five $1 million grand prizes (up from four)
  • 620,000 tickets available (120,000 more than 2024)
  • Better odds to win $1 million
  • 200 more $500 instant wins
  • 1,600 more $100 instant wins
  • A new "Quarter Million Monday" drawing for $250,000 on December 1
  • Better overall odds

The price stays at $20 per ticket.

Montana Lottery Director Bob Brown said the changes reflect player and sales agent feedback:

We've listened to our players and sales agents and combined their feedback with our team's knowledge to responsibly enhance the 2025 Montana Millionaire after last year's surprising sell-out.

Why the makeover?

Last year caught lottery officials off guard. They added 120,000 tickets to the 2023 total, expecting slower sales. Instead, all 500,000 tickets sold out by 8:16 a.m. MT. Sales started at 5:30 a.m. MT.

The timeline tells the story:

  • 6:00 a.m.: 100,000 tickets sold
  • 6:49 a.m.: 250,000 tickets sold
  • 7:30 a.m.: 392,000 tickets sold
  • 8:16 a.m.: Complete sell-out

That's roughly 1,800 tickets per minute during peak hours.

When can you buy tickets?

Montana Millionaire 2025 goes on sale Saturday, November 1, at 5:30 a.m. MT Will 620,000 tickets last longer than three hours?

Given the increased prize pool and ticket count, possibly. But demand patterns suggest another quick sell-out.

Who can play, and how many tickets?

The Montana Lottery addresses common questions in its FAQ:

Residency requirements? None. Anyone of legal age can buy tickets, whether a resident or a visitor. The lottery calls residency limits "discrimination."

Purchase limits? No limits per person. The lottery's mission centers on maximizing revenue for Montana. Limiting purchases would contradict this goal and reduce funding for state programs.

More games throughout the year? Not planned. Montana Millionaire succeeds because it's exclusive. The lottery believes scarcity drives demand.

Where does the money go?

Lottery proceeds follow a specific path. The first $2.25 million funds Montana's STEM/Healthcare Scholarship Program through the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Montana University System.

Everything beyond that amount goes to Montana's general fund. The legislature determines how general fund money gets spent.

What happened to the 2024 winners?

The four 2024 grand prize winners were drawn on December 26, 2024. All 500,000 tickets sold out in less than three hours on November 1, 2024.

Will 2025 be different? The bigger question: will 25% more tickets and 25% more grand prizes satisfy demand? Or will Montana Millionaire 2025 sell out even faster?

Early sales data will tell the story. Mark your calendars for November 1 at 5:30 a.m. MT.

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

The South Carolina Lottery claim center in Columbia.
Swipe to play? South Carolina Lottery adds debit option for ticket buyers

Retailers can opt in, but some say card fees may not be worth the jackpot.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Arizona Lottery and the Fast Play logos over a dark background.
Arizona caps bulk buys on Fast Play tickets in new lottery rule update

A new $50K-a-day rule targets ticket hoarders to keep Fast Play games fun and fair for all players.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Michigan Lottery Super Raffle logo over a black background.
Michigan Lottery launches biggest raffle prize in history

Michigan Lottery's $6 million Super Raffle returns with premium $50 tickets targeting high-roller players.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

A lottery player using a lottery ticket machine to play Mega Millions.
Mega Millions prizes skyrocket 347% after controversial changes

Twenty drawings in, new Mega Millions delivers $112 million in non-jackpot prizes.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

Recent articles

View All
A police car with flashing lights at night.
Clerk pleads guilty in $9K lottery ticket scheme

She printed hundreds of tickets and cashed in the winners at the store across the street from her work.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Maryland Lottery logo along with two sample files for the Maryland Treasures scratch-off ticket.
Maryland Lottery offers $4,000 per piece for scratch-off designs

Three lucky artists will see their Maryland artwork on thousands of lottery tickets.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

The numbers 3333 and 888 over a sky blue background with confetti.
Quads, trips, and a countdown win big over the holiday weekend

If you ever thought repeating digits were too good to be true, think again — just ask these 26,000+ winners.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Publix on Old 41 Highway NW in Kennessaw, Georgia.
Holiday jackpots: Georgia players win millions over July 4th weekend

A Kennessaw Publix shopper won $3 million in Friday's Mega Millions drawing.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher