The New York Gaming Commission’s Division of the Lottery today announced that New York’s popular Mega Millions game will offer bigger jackpots and better overall odds beginning in October.

“The Mega Millions game has certainly lived up to its name since making its debut as New York’s first-ever multistate game in 2002,” said Robert Williams, Acting Executive Director of the New York State Gaming Commission. “Since then, New Yorkers have won or shared more than $1.5 billion in Mega Millions jackpots with millions of additional prizes awarded. These improvements will allow for even bigger jackpots and better odds of winning – both of which will create more New York Lottery millionaires.”

The new Mega Millions will also feature a quadrupled second prize from $250,000 to $1 million cash.

Overall odds for the revamped Mega Millions game will drop to 1:14.71 from 1:39.89 allowing more players to win more often. The odds of winning a jackpot prize with the new game matrix will increase from 1:176 million to 1:259 million. Players will select five numbers from a field of 75 plus one additional number from a separate field of 15. Players who match all six numbers will win or share the jackpot. Players who match only the first five numbers will automatically win $1 million and if they play the $1 Megaplier feature, that $1 million will increase to at least $2 million and perhaps up to $5 million.

“The cost of each New York Mega Millions game will remain $1,” said Gardner Gurney, Acting Director of the Division of the Lottery. “We felt it was important to keep the price point at $1 to help differentiate Mega Millions from the $2 Powerball game.”

Changes to the game will require the New York Lottery to limit advance play for the Mega Millions game beginning July 23. The Lottery will reduce the number of consecutive draws a player can purchase for advance play during the countdown to the launch of the new game format. New play cards featuring the five of 75 and one of 15 matrices will arrive at retailer locations as we get closer to the October 19 game change. 

The Lottery’s nearly 19,000 current Mega Millions subscribers will have an opportunity to select a new set of numbers. Due to the change in the game matrix for Mega Millions, subscribers who are currently playing a subscription with a Mega ball greater than 15 will have a new Mega ball randomly selected and offered to them via mail or email notice. The subscriber may choose to use the new random selection by simply not responding to the notice or they can choose to change the Mega ball number via mail, email or the Lottery subscription Web site mynylottery.org. The ability to make changes to existing subscriptions will start in mid-August and end September 20.  Subscriptions for the revised Mega Millions game can be purchased beginning September 1.

Total sales for New York’s Mega Millions game amounted to $254.43 million for Fiscal Year 2012-13, generating a profit of $104.24 million for education statewide.

About Mega Millions

The Mega Millions game is played in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions holds the record for the largest jackpot in North American history: a $656 million prize that was split three ways among ticket holders in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland. Below is a historical list of the ten largest Mega Millions jackpots to date.

Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information about Mega Millions, please visit www.nylottery.org.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.04 billion in fiscal year 2012-2013 to help support education in New York State.  The Lottery’s contribution represents 15 percent of total state education aid to local school districts. 

New York Lottery revenue is distributed to local school districts by the same statutory formula used to distribute other state aid to education.  It takes into account both a school district’s size and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionately larger shares of Lottery school funding.

About the New York State Gaming Commission

The New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming and gambling activity in the state, including horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, class III Indian gaming, video lottery terminal facilities at race tracks, the state lottery and charitable gaming.