The national games set their prices for every state that sells them; everything else is set by your state lottery. Below are the current prices for the main US games and what the optional extras add.
How much does a Powerball ticket cost?
A Powerball play costs $2. That buys five white-ball numbers and one Powerball, with jackpot odds of 1 in 292,201,338, according to the official prize chart. Two extras can be added per play:
- Power Play, $1. Multiplies any non-jackpot prize by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. The 10x multiplier is only in the mix when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less. Our Power Play explainer has the details.
- Double Play, $1. Enters your same numbers in a second drawing held after the main one, with a top prize of $10 million cash. It is sold in about 30 jurisdictions, not everywhere. See how Double Play works.
With both extras, a single Powerball play costs $4. Power Play does not apply to Double Play prizes.
How much is a Mega Millions ticket?
Mega Millions costs $5 per play. The price went up from $2 in April 2025, when the game was redesigned: the optional Megaplier was dropped and every ticket now carries a random 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x multiplier on non-jackpot prizes. The lowest prize is now $10, and the jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336, per the Mega Millions how-to-play page. We looked at how the change has played out in Mega Millions one year after the overhaul, and compare the two big games in Powerball vs Mega Millions.
How much do other lottery games cost?
| Game | Price per play | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Millionaire for Life | $5 | Nightly at 11:15 p.m. ET; top prize $1 million a year for life |
| Lotto America | $1 | Optional $1 All Star Bonus multiplier; drawn Monday, Wednesday and Saturday |
| Cash 5 and Fantasy 5 games | Usually $1 | Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina charge $2 |
| Pick 3 and Pick 4 | $0.50 or $1 in many states | Prizes scale with the wager |
| Keno | Usually from $1 per drawing | Higher wagers and multiple drawings cost more |
| Scratch-offs | Usually $1 to $50 | Price sets the prize structure |
Millionaire for Life is the multi-state "for life" game that replaced Lucky for Life and Cash4Life, which both cost $2 and held their final drawings on February 21, 2026. Its second prize is $100,000 a year for life. If you won one of the older games, our guide to Lucky for Life and Cash4Life payouts still applies.
Five-number state games such as Cash 5 and Fantasy 5 mostly cost $1. A few states raised the price to $2 when they built a feature into every ticket; our Cash 5 and Fantasy 5 guide lists them.
Pick 3 and Pick 4 are where the cheapest plays are. Georgia, for example, sells Cash 3 for 50 cents or $1, and a 50-cent straight win pays $250 against $500 for a $1 play. The straight and box payout guide explains the bet types.
Keno pricing depends on how many spots you pick, how much you wager and how many consecutive drawings you buy; see how to play Keno.
Scratch-offs are priced per game, and the price affects how much of the money comes back as prizes. The Minnesota Lottery, for instance, said in 2023 that its $1 games pay out about 63% of sales in prizes, rising step by step to about 74% for $50 games. Other states set their own percentages. A higher payout share still means you lose money on average, just a smaller share of it. More in how scratch-off tickets work.
Does buying online or in advance cost more?
Buying several drawings at once doesn't change the price per drawing. Ten Powerball drawings on one multi-draw ticket cost $20, and each drawing has the same odds as a single ticket.
Where a state sells draw-game tickets through its own website or app, you pay the face price. Our iLottery state-by-state guide lists which states do. Third-party courier services are different: they buy a paper ticket on your behalf and charge a service fee on top, and some states have banned them. Our courier app comparison covers the fees and where they operate.
Paying by card is restricted in many states, and where it is allowed your card issuer may treat a lottery purchase as a cash advance, with its own fees and interest. See can you buy lottery tickets with a credit card.
Is a more expensive ticket better value?
Not by itself. The price tells you what you pay, not what you get back. A $5 Mega Millions play includes a multiplier on every lower prize, while a $2 Powerball play needs the $1 Power Play to get one; which is the better deal depends on the prize chart and the current jackpot. What holds across every game is that the lottery keeps a share of each dollar, so no price point gives players an edge. Our article on what actually works goes through the options that change your odds and the ones that don't.
Lottery ticket prices: FAQ
How much does a Powerball ticket cost?
$2 per play. Power Play adds $1 and multiplies non-jackpot prizes, and Double Play adds $1 for a second drawing in states that sell it, so a play with both costs $4.
How much does a Mega Millions ticket cost?
$5 per play since April 2025. There is no separate Megaplier any more; a 2x to 10x multiplier is built into every ticket, and the smallest prize is $10.
How much are scratch-off lottery tickets?
Usually between $1 and $50, depending on the game. Higher-priced games generally pay back a larger share of sales as prizes; Minnesota, for example, reported about 63% for $1 games and 74% for $50 games.
Can you play the lottery for less than a dollar?
Yes. Many states sell Pick 3 and Pick 4 plays for 50 cents, with prizes half those of a $1 play. Lotto America, at $1, is the cheapest multi-state jackpot game.
How much does a Millionaire for Life ticket cost?
$5 per play. It replaced Lucky for Life and Cash4Life, which cost $2, after their final drawings on February 21, 2026. It is drawn nightly at 11:15 p.m. ET.
Do lottery tickets cost more when bought online?
Not from an official state lottery site or app, which sells at face price. Third-party courier services add a service fee on top of the ticket price.
Sources: Powerball prize chart; Powerball Double Play; Mega Millions, How to Play; Millionaire for Life; Lotto America; Georgia Lottery, Cash 3; Minnesota Lottery, scratch game payouts by price point. Prices can change with game rules; your state lottery has the current figures.
