Massachusetts Mega Millions Sales Drop 30% After Price Hike, Revenue Jumps 71%

When ticket prices went up from $2 to $5 last April, Massachusetts State Lottery saw fewer people buying tickets but much higher profits. Sales dropped by 30% while revenue climbed 71%.

The latest drawing brought in $841,185 from 100,297 tickets - way down from the previous week's 142,170 tickets worth $491,323. This is the first time prices have gone up since Massachusetts joined the game in 2022.

"Players took home more than double the amount in prizes compared to the previous drawing due to game enhancements," said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lottery told WBZ-TV.

The new game rules got rid of one Mega Ball number but added automatic prize multipliers. Players now have a 1-in-23 chance of winning, with $10 being the lowest prize.

The Mega Millions Consortium's Joshua Johnston pointed out that random multipliers now make smaller prizes bigger. While fewer tickets are being sold, more players are winning.

"Jackpot fatigue has shifted consumer interest toward larger jackpots exceeding hundreds of millions before sales surge," said Christian Teja from Massachusetts Lottery.

Since starting three years ago, Massachusetts has seen five jackpot winners. The game is available in 45 states plus two U.S. territories.

People feel differently about the price increase. The higher cost hurts, but better odds and bigger possible winnings help make up for it.

The state expects growth to continue as players get used to the changes. Instead of trying to sell more tickets, these updates aim to make each game more worthwhile.