The first drawing of the revamped Mega Millions was held on April 8, promising bigger jackpots and secondary prizes. The multistate lottery, which includes Missouri and Illinois, also raised the price of a ticket from $2 to $5. Through May 30, there had been one jackpot winner (on April 18). If this jackpot winner rate continues, there will be around six jackpots won in its first full year of operation, in line with jackpot winners over the past 10 years.

Americans spent around $100 billion on lotteries in 2023 — or an average $321 per capita among states that participate. Massachusetts is the nation’s leader at $867 per person. Both Illinois and Missouri came in just under the national average, at $285 and $272 per person, respectively. All such spending may have prompted Mega Millions t

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