Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Announces $5 Million Lottery For Residents Who Get COVID-19 Vaccine

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced Wednesday that his state is introducing a new program to incentivize residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. DeWine explained that eligible adults who receive at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine can entered into a lottery with a grand prize of $1 million.

“I know that some of you now are shaking your head and saying, ‘That Mike DeWine, he’s crazy. This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'” DeWine said in a statement announcing the lottery. “The real waste at this point in the pandemic, when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it—the real waste is a life that is lost now to COVID-19.”

“Two weeks from tonight on May 26th, we will announce the winner of a separate drawing for adults, adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine,” DeWine specified during a television address. “This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks. And the winner each Wednesday will receive one million dollars.”

The total $5 million will be distributed from Ohio’s federal COVID-19 relief funds which are already at the state’s disposal. The Ohio Department of Health is sponsoring the event.