Smaller prizes also up for grabs
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has revealed that the top prize for the state’s new lottery scheme to push coronavirus vaccinations will be $1m. Her announcement provides details about the ‘Take Your Shot Oregon’ incentive campaign for residents in the state who get the COVID-19 shot.
Governor Brown tweeted out a video on May 22 in which she discusses the campaign:
Every eligible person in Oregon who is at least 18 years old will be in the running to win the $1m top prize. Each of the state’s 36 counties will also have a guaranteed winner of a $10,000 prize. Oregonians who are between 12 and 17 years old will be in a special draw to win a $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarship, with a total of five available.
names have to be in the vaccination database by midnight on June 27
Only people who have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by the draw date will be able to participate in the lottery. The main draw will be on June 28 and the authorities will announce the winners the following week. To partake in the draw, names have to be in the vaccination database by midnight on June 27.
Boosting vaccination numbers
The goal of the lottery campaign is to make sure that as many Oregon residents as possible get vaccinated. Governor Brown noted that vaccines are the best way for people to protect themselves and their loved ones from coronavirus, adding that the rollout of vaccines is the quickest way to bring the pandemic to an end.
a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communities safe”
She said: “The Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign is a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communities safe.”
The joint campaign is a collaboration among the Oregon State Treasury, Oregon Lottery, and the Oregon Health Authority. To aid in the creation of this incentive system, the Oregon authorities enlisted the help of researchers from Stanford University. The $1.86m funding for the lottery comes from the federal Coronavirus Relief Act. The Oregon Lottery will assist the Oregon Health Authority in drawing the winners.
Other states offering similar incentives
Oregon is not the only state to run a lottery campaign to boost the uptake of vaccinations. New York, Maryland, Kentucky, and Ohio have also announced similar campaigns recently.
Kentucky was the first state to launch a vaccine incentive program, doing so on May 11. People who get the vaccine in the state will receive a Kentucky Cash Ball ticket and be in with a chance of winning the $225,000 top prize.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the ‘New York State Vax & Scratch’ campaign on May 20. The top prize for a scratch-off lottery ticket is $5m. Starting May 24, every person in the state who is vaccinated at one of the ten shot sites in the state will get a free New York State Lottery ticket worth $20.
The Maryland Lottery ‘$2 Million VaxCash’ promotion starting May 25 will see a vaccinated person win $40,000 every day. On July 4, a lucky winner will bag a $400,000 grand prize to round out the campaign. Finally, Ohio’s ‘Vax-a-Million’ campaign begins May 26, awarding $1m every Wednesday for five consecutive weeks.
