Still Not Playing MegaMillions
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (105475)
United States
June 20, 2025 7:28am CST
Ever since the MegaMillions changed the cost of a ticket to $5, I have not played even though they said they increased the odds of winning something. Don't get me wrong. I love playing the lottery and don't consider it to be a major expense. But $5 is just a bit too steep for my tastes.
I might consider playing a bit if the jackpot gets over $1 billion. But other than that, I will simply play the Powerball and the regular Illinois lottery which are both still $2 each.
Although I haven't seen any stats on it, I would have to imagine that play has dropped off a bit. Maybe even significantly. But it's too early, I would suspect, for MegaMillions to probably release any data on it.
I think they eventually will, and I'd be curious to know if there was any significant drop in ticket sales.
If you regularly played the MegaMillions before the price hike, did you continue to play after it or did you stop?
9 people like this
7 responses
@kareng (78726)
• United States
23 Jun
I have only bought one ticket since prices went up and that was last week. I didn't match not one number, so it will be a long, long time before I buy another. I think I will amuse myself with a few scratch offs. Are there any $1 tickets even left? The daily drawings?
2 people like this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
24 Jun
In my state, as far as the higher jackpots go, the only one that's $1 is the Lucky Day which draws twice a day, starts at $100,000 and goes up $50,000 until someone wins. It rarely hits $1 million before someone wins and usually hits somewhere around $300,000 or $400,000. Our state lottery is $2.
I won't shell out $5 for a MegaMillions until the jackpot hits $1 billion or more.
1 person likes this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
20 Jun
@LadyDuck Well, at the end of the day, you have to do what works for you. If your numbers are making more wins, then of course. And hell, you never know, maybe your numbers WILL hit one day. I'd certainly not stop playing them because the minute you do, that's when Murphy's Law very clearly says they will suddenly hit.
1 person likes this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
20 Jun
I always play whatever numbers the computer picks for me, so I don't have a number. I look at this way. If the odds are 1 in 290 million the computer gets it right once for me in my life, I can't imagine the odds I picked the right numbers on my own out of 290 million possible combinations, ESPECIALLY considering I only have roughly 9,048 chances to even win it.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (78000)
• United States
20 Jun
I remember hearing a minister use the tag line of our lottery (“Somebody’s gonna win, might as well be you”) as, “Somebody’s gonna lose, might as well be you.” Using your savings mentality, playing MegaMillions and Powerball every week, twice a week, one ticket, would be $20. Put it in savings, and at the end of a year you have guaranteed yourself over a thousand dollars. No checking the numbers, you have “won” it by not playing!
1 person likes this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
10 Aug
But of course, the money I use to play the lottery, based on how I make money, doesn't come "out of pocket." I have a "pool" investment that generates my play money. lol And I go by the original saying that someone has to win. For $2 to have a chance at a hundred million bucks...
Yeah, I'll risk that loss of $2 every day, twice on Sundays. I've lost way more than that on certain investments. Hell, that telecommunications company that went kaput cost me $20k. lol
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (198303)
• United States
21 Jun
I play the Classic Lotto; but if I had an interest in MegaMillions, I think the price is too high.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (198303)
• United States
11 Aug
@porwest I don't believe most people want to drop $5 per ticket.
1 person likes this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
11 Aug
@LindaOHio Me either. Besides, I've been watching the jackpots, and they seem smaller. Granted, supposedly it's easier to win something now. Still.
1 person likes this
@2ndchances24 (10793)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
20 Jun
I don't play, it adds up after awhile, & I have other more
important things on my mind, yea I know you can't win
if you don't play, but I'm not into making some 1 else rich.
2 people like this
@2ndchances24 (10793)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
22 Jun
@porwest more than it's worth wasting your time on.
1 person likes this
@ogbenishyna44 (729)
•
26 Jun
Are they not making enough money already? I hope increasing the odds will surely increase chances of winning.
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (15731)
• Torrington, Connecticut
1 Jul
I think its a complete waste of money. My uncle played every day $5 bucks for years and one day realized after winning like 4,000 that he spent over 10K in the last 10 years. what a waste!
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (15731)
• Torrington, Connecticut
2 Jul
@porwest Very true, you know what, im going to buy a $5 scratch off ticket after work and let you know how it goes
1 person likes this
@porwest (105475)
• United States
2 Jul
@BACONSTRIPSXXX How come I think I can predict what's going to happen? lol
1 person likes this
