Upgraded Mega Millions proves popular with countless Americans

The revamped Mega Millions product has found roaring success across the US according to its operator, showcasing the enthusiasm many Americans have for nationwide lottery products.

The US stands out as a major lottery market without having a National Lottery, although similar countries with federal political frameworks like Canada and Australia also operate lotteries on a state-by-state basis.

Instead of a National Lottery, the US has the Powerball and Mega Millions products, the former operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and the latter by the Mega Millions Corporation.

Mega Millions’ operator undertook an upgrade of the product in April this year, with the first draw taking place on 8 April. Enhancements included bigger prizes, improved odds, a larger starting jackpot and faster growing jackpots.

“Six months in, the game is performing well, but we’re all waiting to see what happens when the jackpot really starts to climb,” said Joshua Johnston, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium.

“Now that it’s at more than a half-billion dollars, we expect more infrequent players to begin playing, and that should push the jackpot even higher.”

The Mega Millions Corporation has released figures showing how many Americans have been engaging with the product.

Since the April upgrade, 13.6 million players have won £344.6m in prizes, 4.1 million have won the minimum prize for a winning ticket and over 427,000 won more than $28.8m at the 10k multiplayer level.

Upgrading the Mega Millions was a key objective for the Mega Millions corporation in 2025, having been earmarked as a priority last year. The year has been eventful for the product in other ways, having been taken live in the UK via Lottoland.

“We saw a similar pattern when the game’s ticket price last changed in 2017, but once the jackpot reached a significant amount, players returned to the game, new players began buying tickets, and the sales and jackpot curves began to spike,” added Johnston.

“We expect the same thing will happen now. What’s also exciting is how much all our non-jackpot winners have won along the way thanks to the built-in multiplier in the new matrix. We’ve never paid out prizes at this level before, and players are really noticing.”

https://lotterydaily.com/2025/10/09/retail/mega-millions-upgrade/