Mega Millions players will get slightly better odds and should start seeing more billion-dollar jackpots, but at a cost — literally — with tickets for the multistate lottery more than doubling in pric

Mega Millions is promising faster-rising jackpots as tickets are now $5 for a single play beginning with the Tuesday, April 8, drawing. The ticket now includes the multiplier and the odds of winning the top jackpot have been reduced to 1 in 290,472,336, still a long shot but better than the previous odds of 1 in 302,575,350.

The price of a Mega Millions ticket is going up from $2 to $5 beginning April 5, the second increase in the lottery’s 28-year history since its debut as The Big Game in 1996.