(CNN) – The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about to get even longer, but the payoff will increase substantially.
Starting on Saturday, the lottery will be implementing mega changes, as a response to customer demands for more high-dollar jackpots, officials say.
It will also allow the lottery to better compete against its rival, Powerball.
The game will cost twice as much to play, up to $2 per ticket, but will feature bigger prize payouts: jackpots will now start at $40 million, up from $15 million.
Mega Millions is also changing the range of numbers players have to choose from, which will make the odds of winning the $1 million second prize slightly better but the odds of winning the jackpot worse.
Under the new rules, the jackpot odds will be 1 in 302.6 million, which is tougher than the Powerball’s odds.
A regular Mega Millions ticket will now have a 1 in 24 chance of winning some kind of prize.
The higher ticket price and tougher odds will translate into bigger jackpots, however, because there will be more rollover weeks when no one takes the top prize.
The #MegaMillions game changes are happening this Saturday. Find out more: https://t.co/H0cxhREMk7 pic.twitter.com/ElarpfMBca
— Mega Millions (@MegaMillionsUS) October 25, 2017
In October 2015, Powerball made a similar move, raising its ticket prices and lengthening its odds. Since then, its jackpot has topped $200 million nine times, compared to three times for Mega Millions.
Mega Millions will also introduce a $3 ticket that gives players two chances at the jackpot, rather than one, but the ticket holder would not be able to claim any secondary prizes, only the jackpot prize.
The changes to the Mega Millions lottery start with the Oct. 31 draw. The game is currently played in 44 states, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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