New Rules & New Era For MegaMillions!

Table of contents:

• WHAT ARE THE NEW MEGAMILLIONS RULES?
• 1.PRICE INCREASE
• 2. IMPROVED PAYOUTS
• 3. NO MORE MEGAPLIER
• 4.HIGHER STARTING PAYOUT
• 5.INCREASED LOWER-TIER PAYOUTS
• A NEW ERA FOR MEGAMILLIONS!
• MEGAMILLIONS FAQ'S

Ever since the first punter placed their first bet with us at Lottoland South Africa, the US Mega Millions has been one of the most popular lotteries to bet on - and it is easy to see why! This US mega-lotto is responsible for some of the biggest payouts of all time, with payouts routinely reaching hundreds of millions of dollars. It has even been known to pay out over a billion dollars on occassion, making it one of the biggest lotteries in the world!

In April, however, changes are coming to the much-loved lotto that will raise eyebrows, and certainly pique the interest of many! Let's take a look at these changes - spoiler alert: your chances of hitting the top payout are about to get much better!

What Are the New Mega Millions Rules?

From April 5, 2025, Mega Millions will introduce key rule changes, with the first draw under the new system happening on April 8, 2025. Here’s a breakdown of what’s changing:

1. Price Increase

At first glance, the most notable change is that the bet price is increasing. Following the change, the price to bet will increase from R70 to R150, and a Mini-Bet will increase from R7.50 to R20.

However, you do get something in exchange! Currently, there is an optional extra in MegaMillions called the Megaplier. This can be added to your bet, and it will add a multiplier to any payouts outside of the top tier. With the new changes, this will be automatically included in your bet! This means that your bet will automatically include a multiplier - for no extra cost!

2. Improved Payout Odds

As a way to improve the odds of hitting the top payout, the pool from which you choose your MegaBall will be reduced from 25 to 24. Reducing this pool by just one number may seem like a small change, but it has huge impact on your chances of winning! In fact, this small change will improve your odds of hitting the top payout from 1 in 302.5 million to 1 in 290 million.

3. No More Megaplier

As mentioned earlier, the Megaplier is no more! The Megaplier used to be an optional feature that punters could choose to multiple potential payouts. Now, this featurewill be removed and replaced by built-in multipliers that will be automatically added to every bet. 

The multiplier will be randomly assigned to your bet, and every bet you place could ptentially have a different multiplier. The possible multipliers could be 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or even 10x. If you hit a winner the multiplier will be added to your payout, but please note that this will not apply to the top-payout.

4. Higher Starting Top Payout

We don't think you'll multiplier not applying to the top payout, because that is more than doubling! Going forward, the starting top payout will increase from $20 million to $50 million!* Don't forget,  MegaMillions is also likely to have multiple rollovers, meaning that top payout could just grow and grow and grow!

5. Increased Lower-Tier Payouts

It's not just the top payout that is getting a boost, the lower tiers payouts are increasing too! The lowest-tier payout (matching only the Mega Ball) will rise from $2 to $5*. In addition the this, matching just 1 number + the Mega Ball will have an increase from $4 to $7*.

A New Era For MegaMillions!

These changes are certainly eyebrow raising! Bigger payouts, better odds and just an all-round better player experience! At Lottoland, we can't wait for the new era  to begin, how about you? Let us know your thoughts on the changes in the comments below and stay tuned for updates and prepare for a new era of Mega Millions!

*Please note the $ amounts will be paid out is ZAR equivalent, subject to currency fluctuations.

MegaMillions FAQ's