States are increasingly turning to lotteries as a way to try to get hesitant people vaccinated against the coronavirus and boost lagging numbers.
New York and Maryland on Thursday announced that residents who get the COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible for prize money, with Oregon unveiling similar plans on Friday. All three states are following in the footsteps of Ohio, which launched a lottery-focused campaign earlier this month.
Health officials in the Buckeye State are already reporting some promising results: Vaccinations for people 16 and older increased 28 percent the weekend after the lottery announcement, compared to the previous weekend.
Dan Tierney, a spokesman for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), said vaccinations had been trending down before the lottery.
“Really the only thing that has changed was the availability of the Vax-a-Million incentive,” Tierney said.
Vaccinated residents in Ohio will be entered to win one of five $1 million prizes.
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There are some slight differences between the state programs. Ohio is doing five drawings for $1 million each; Maryland is doing smaller drawings of $40,000 every day for 40 days, followed by a $400,000 drawing on the Fourth of July; New York is offering scratch tickets with prizes from $20 up to $5 million; and Oregon will have a $1 million prize and three dozen $10,000 prizes, one for each county.
There are also smaller incentive efforts. Erie County, N.Y., worked with a local brewery to offer free beer to people getting vaccinated. Maine is offering L.L. Bean gift cards, among other rewards.
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More states turn to lotteries in vaccine hesitancy fight https://t.co/fsXKapmCj7 pic.twitter.com/XuJ5OOL9IE
— The Hill (@thehill) May 23, 2021
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