Lottery players are going to have a shot at more billion-dollar jackpots and slightly better odds under new Mega Millions rules that go into effect with Tuesday’s drawing. But the improvements come at a cost — literally: Players will have to shell out $5 per ticket, more than double the previous price. On the other hand, the jackpots are expected to grow much bigger — and at a faster rate — and officials believe sales will rise as people are stopped in their tracks by massive prizes. “People really want big jackpots,” said Joshua Johnston, the Washington state lottery director who heads the Mega Millions game. “We expect to see a sales lift on this.” HOW IS MEGA MILLIONS CHANGING? The biggest change is the ticket price hike from $2 to $5. Lottery officials expect that jump to increase revenue from the twice-weekly game, enabling them to lower the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million. The higher ticket price also means the jackpot can start at $50 million, rather than the previous $20 million, and the grand prize is expected to grow more quickly. Each time there isn’t a big winner, the jackpot will jump to a larger mark. Officials expect it will more frequently top the $1 billion threshold that draws extra attention — and bigger sales. Under the new rules, prizes for tickets not matching all six numbers also will increase, with smaller winners now guaranteed at least $10. Each ticket also will include a randomly assigned multiplier that can increase the prize by up to 10 times, a previous add-on feature that cost an extra $1. The multiplier doesn’t apply to a jackpot. WILL THIS MAKE WINNING A JACKPOT EASIER? Yes, but it’s still incredibly unlikely: Odds of 1 in 290 million are still mind-bogglingly hard to beat. And that’s true if you buy one ticket or 100. “When we hear 1 in 290 million, we don’t have a sense of what that means. We have a greater sense of the fact that there will be a winning number,” said Tim Chartier, a mathematics and computer science professor at Davidson College. “And it’s true that it’s possible, but the issue is the extreme improbability of it.” How improbable? The chance of hitting a jackpot, even under the new rules, is akin to choosing one single second over a nine-year span, according to Chartier. He said he’s never been willing to risk even a couple bucks on those odds. WHY IS THE GAME CHANGING? The new rules have two main goals: to address what the industry calls “jackpot fatigue” and to differentiate Mega Millions from Powerball, the other lottery draw game played across the country. Jackpot fatigue is the phenomenon under which prizes must grow to enormous amounts before most players will take note and buy a few tickets. These days, a $300 million prize that once drew lines at mini-marts barely registers. With the new rules, officials expect those average winning jackpots to climb from about $450 million to $800 million, Johnston said. And they believe that even lottery fatigue is no match for the more frequent billion-dollar prize. “When you get to a billion people are like, ‘Whoa, that’s a whole lot of money,’” Johnston said. Lottery […]