Abbigail Bugenske Becomes First Vax-A-Million Lottery Winner In Ohio

An Ohio woman became the first winner of $1 million in the state’s vaccination incentive lottery, Vax-a-Million, the state announced Wednesday.

A Dayton-area teen was also announced as the winner the full-ride college scholarship offered in the lottery.

The $1 million winner was Abbigail Bugenske of Silverton, Ohio and the winner of the college scholarship was Joseph Costello of Englewood, Ohio.

The winners were selected in a random drawing Monday and had their information verified before the TV announcement on the Ohio Lottery’s Cash Explosion show.

“We’re excited that this has inspired so many Ohioans to get vaccinated, and we’re thrilled to announce the winners of the first round of drawings,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R).

Ohio introduced the vaccination lottery program on May 12 to improve lagging vaccination numbers. More than 2.7 million adults reportedly registered for the prize.

Several other states have introduced their own vaccination lotteries for their residents.