BISMARCK - A national lottery game will increase its ticket prices and make it more difficult to win the big prize, but lottery agencies in North Dakota and Minnesota hope the move to grow the game's jackpot will get players more excited and, in turn, increase revenue.
Beginning Saturday, Oct. 28, players will have to pay $2, up from $1, to buy a Mega Millions ticket, the game's producers announced in a news release. It will start with a larger jackpot of $40 million, more than double the current starting jackpot of $15 million.
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"We have a demand for innovation to keep fresh, entertaining lottery games and to deliver the attention-grabbing jackpots," Mega Millions President Debbie Alford said in a statement. "We're excited to deliver the opportunity to create more millionaires and also provide more opportunities to raise additional revenues for the respected causes lotteries benefit."
The game's producers wanted to grow the Mega Millions jackpots faster with larger amounts, according to the news release. The game also makes it easier to win a $1 million prize by cutting back on the numbers available to draw for each of the five white balls - each ball will have 70 balls to choose from instead of 75.
The new design makes it more difficult to win the jackpot because it increases the number of red balls from which to choose to 25, up from the current number of 10. That makes the odds of winning longer, from the current standards of 1 in 259 million to 1 and 303 million, according to media reports.
North Dakota Lottery spokesman Ryan Koppy said the state is expecting positive growth from the rule changes, citing similar changes made to the Powerball game in 2012.
"Players can dream bigger, win bigger," he said. "There may be fewer tickets purchased, but it won't be enough to offset the positive increase due to the $2 change."
Mega Millions also will add a new option to buy two entries for the jackpot that will cost $3, but that only will be available in seven states, excluding North Dakota and Minnesota. Other states may be able to add this option at a later date.
The changes coincide with the discontinuation of Hot Lotto. Citing a decrease in ticket sales, the Multi-State Lottery Association announced earlier this year it would stop selling those tickets Saturday, when the last drawing will be held. It will be replaced by Lotto America in November.
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Mega Millions was first launched in 1996 as The Big Game before being renamed in 2002. It is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The largest jackpot was $656 million and was split by three winners in 2012.
The game first started selling tickets in North Dakota and Minnesota in 2010. The largest Mega Millions prize claimed in North Dakota was by an anonymous winner from Williston who won $3 million in May 2016.
Minnesota has had several $1 million winners but no jackpot winners, Minnesota Lottery spokesman Adam Prock.
"As far as sales goes, we hope it increases sales," he said. "Obviously, there will be some increase in excitement, and as jackpots grow, that also grows excitement."
The estimated jackpot for Friday's drawing was $30 million as of Thursday.
