The Mega Millions multiplier: how 2X to 10X works

What the multiplier is

Each non-jackpot prize has a fixed base amount, from $5 for the Mega Ball alone to $1 million for five white balls. The multiplier on your play decides how many times you get that amount: with a 2X you get double, with a 10X you get ten times as much.

It's built into the $5 price of every play, so there's no box to mark and nothing extra to pay.

How it's assigned

The multiplier is randomly assigned when you buy and printed on your ticket, next to the drawing information. You can't choose it or change it, and it makes no difference whether you pick your own numbers or ask for a Quick Pick.

Because it's assigned at purchase, you know your multiplier before the drawing: if you win, you'll already know how much your prize is multiplied by. For Multi-Draw tickets and subscriptions, how multipliers are assigned depends on the state lottery.

How often each multiplier comes up

Not every value is equally likely. The lower multipliers are the most common, and the 10X comes up once every 32 plays on average:

Put together, the average multiplier is exactly 3X. The multiplier doesn't change your chances of winning a prize, only how much you're paid when you do.

What each prize pays with every multiplier

Even with the lowest multiplier, every prize is worth at least twice the price of a play: the game has no break-even prizes. The odds of each tier are in Mega Millions prizes.

What the multiplier doesn't apply to

The multiplier never applies to the jackpot. If your play matches the five white balls and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot, or your share of it, whatever multiplier is printed on your ticket.

In California, prizes are paid on a pari-mutuel basis: the state works out each tier's prize, multiplier included, from its own sales and the number of winners, so the amounts there differ from the fixed figures above.

Before 2025: the Megaplier

Before April 2025, the multiplier was an optional extra, the Megaplier, which cost $1 more per play: on top of $1 until 2017 and of $2 after that. It started in Texas and, by January 2011, was offered by every Mega Millions lottery except California.

The Megaplier worked differently from today's multiplier. A single Megaplier number was drawn for each drawing, and it applied to every ticket that had paid for the option. It multiplied non-jackpot prizes by 2X, 3X or 4X, and from October 2013 also by 5X, so matching five white balls could pay up to $5 million. It was retired when the new game launched on April 5, 2025.

Just the Jackpot, also retired

Some states also offered Just the Jackpot: two plays for $3 that could only win the jackpot, with no lower prizes. It was retired on the same date as the Megaplier.

How it compares with Powerball's Power Play

Powerball still works the way Mega Millions used to. Its multiplier, Power Play, is optional and costs $1 on top of the $2 play. One multiplier is drawn for each drawing, and the 10X is only in play when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less. With Power Play, matching five white balls always pays $2 million. The rest of the differences are in Mega Millions vs Powerball.

Checking a ticket with a multiplier

Enter your numbers in the ticket checker to see the tier you've matched on each line, then multiply that tier's base prize by the multiplier on your ticket. You'll find the winning numbers and the prize breakdown for every drawing in results.

Frequently asked questions