United States lottery guides
Plain-English explainers for United States lottery games — division mechanics, odds in context, and head-to-head deep-dives. Includes both United States-only guides and cross-country guides that touch United States.
United States
Guide
Mega Millions in 2025: bigger ticket, bigger floor, built-in multiplier
Mega Millions changed everything you'd put on a poster on 2025-04-08. The ticket price doubled to $5, the Mega Ball pool dropped from 25 to 24 numbers, the starting jackpot went from $20M to $50M, and the 2x–10x multiplier — formerly an optional Megaplier add-on — is now built into every line.
Guide
What Power Play does (and doesn't do) on a Powerball ticket
Power Play is a $1 add-on on a Powerball ticket that multiplies every non-jackpot prize. The multiplier is drawn separately each draw. Two important caveats: it doesn't touch the jackpot, and the Match-5 prize ($1M) is capped at $2M no matter what multiplier comes up.
More guides for United States games are being added.