DES MOINES, Iowa — Outshined by Powerball’s massive jackpots since Powerball doubled the cost of a ticket last year, Mega Millions enacted its own changes in October aimed at inflating its jackpots.
Those changes might already be working, as the Mega Millions jackpot for Friday night’s drawing stood Thursday at an estimated $400 million. It is the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever, trailing only a $656 million jackpot won in March 2012.
Mega Millions operators kept the price of a ticket at $1 but lowered the odds of winning the jackpot, thereby increasing the chances of it rolling over.
“The revamp has given us a game that has a better chance of rolling and growing more quickly,” said Paula Otto, the Virginia Lottery’s executive director and Mega Millions’ lead director.
