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 price from $2 to $5. The new ticket price is in place for Tuesday's drawing. Lottery officials are betting that the swollen jackpots they're expecting will catch the public's attention and lead to an accompanying surge in sales. The higher ticket price means the jackpot can start at $50 million, rather than the previous $20 million, and the grand prize is expected to grow more quickly.

Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday's Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday's jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game's history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. But the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials. Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The cost of a Mega Millions lottery ticket will soon more than double, but officials said they're confident players won't mind paying more after changes that will lead to larger prizes and more frequent winners. Lottery officials announced Monday that it will cost $5 to play Mega Millions beginning in April. That is up from the current $2 per ticket. Along with the high price, officials plan changes leading to improved jackpot odds, more frequent giant prizes and larger payouts. Mega Millions and its lottery compatriot Powerball are sold in 45 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico. Powerball doesn't plan to increases prices.