Many states are starting to add incentives to getting vaccinated as those eager to get inoculation from the novel coronavirus make their way through the process and supply begins to outweigh demand. Getting more people protected from COVID-19 will help bring the pandemic to an end, of course, and so those reluctant to get the jab might need an extra push have been offered anything from a free beer to cash prizes via a lottery.
One state is really going for it when it comes to a lottery, though. Rather than a single winner, California is offering up more than $116 million in a prize pool for residents who get the jab. On Thursday, California governor Gavin Newsom laid out plans for a major lottery on Twitter, with everyone in the state of California who has been vaccinated entered to win several big money prizes.
CA is launching a $116.5 MILLION GIVEAWAY for vaccinated Californians!
$15 MILLION in cash prizes for 10 winners selected 6/15
$50k for winners on 6/4 & 6/11
Already vaccinated? You’re entered.
Not vaccinated? Next 2 million that get fully vaccinated can ALSO get a $50 card.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 27, 2021
As The Wrap detailed, 10 lottery winners will win $1.5 million, and that includes people under 18 — their winnings would go into a savings account for when they turn 18. And while the lottery is open to everyone in California, the next 2 million people to be vaccinated in the state would be eligible for a $50 gift card to Kroger or Albertsons, local grocery stores in the state.
Oregon, Ohio and New York are other states who have offered some form of lottery in the wake of vaccinations dipping in their respective states. That’s a lot of cash going to people getting the benefit of vaccination, but if it works and gets us all closer to putting the pandemic behind us, it’s almost certainly money well spent.
[via The Wrap]