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Mega Millions ticket to increase to $2

Mega Millions lottery tickets will increase from $1 to $2 later this year, and the odds of winning the jackpot will decrease, according to a measure adopted Monday by New York's lottery regulator.

<p>A machine prints a Mega Millions lottery ticket for a customer at a convenience store on December 17, 2013</p>

ALBANY -- Make it two dollars and a dream.

Mega Millions lottery tickets will increase from $1 to $2 later this year, and the odds of winning the jackpot will decrease, according to a measure adopted Monday by New York's lottery regulator.

The move is meant to boost headline-grabbing jackpots for the multi-state lottery game, which is offered in more than 40 states.

Mega Millions will make the price change and tweaks to the game for the Oct. 31 drawing, state Gaming Commission general counsel Edmund Burns wrote in a memo.

New York had to make the change in order to continue offering the game, which accounted for more than $280 million in lottery sales in the state last year.

"Without these rules changes, the Division of Lottery would need to remove the Mega Millions game from its portfolio of offerings and aid to education would be affected negatively," Burns wrote.

The rule-changes will have players pick from 70 numbers for the first set of picks, and 25 numbers for the second.

Currently, players pick from 75 and 15 numbers, respectively.

The changes will alter the probability of winning.

Chances of winning the jackpot will decrease from 1 in 258.9 million to 1 in 302.6 million, while the chance of winning any prize -- which will run from $2 to the jackpot -- will go from 1 in 14.71 to 1 in 24.

The second-place, $1 million prize will get easier to win: From 1 in 18.5 million to 1 in 12.6 million.

The price increase will put Mega Millions in line with other multi-state lottery games, Powerball and Cash For Life, which already charge $2.

Several New York-only lottery games, including the Lotto and Take 5, will remain $1.

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