Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Here are all the states offering cash prizes as an incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Here are all the states offering cash prizes as an incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Residents of Ohio, New York, Maryland, Kentucky, Colorado, Oregon, and California will get a shot at cash prizes for getting the COVID-19 shot.
Ohio is offering a $1 million jackpot to five vaccinated adults.
Republican Gubernatorial-elect Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine gives his victory speech after winning the Ohio gubernatorial race at the Ohio Republican Party's election night party at the Sheraton Capitol Square on November 6, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.


The cash prize will come from the state's share of pandemic relief funds.

Residents younger than 18 years old are not eligible for the cash prize, but instead will entered into a lottery for a four-year full scholarship — tuition and accommodation included — to any state college or university.

The state administered a record number of vaccines in the first two days after announcing the $1 million vaccine lottery.


New York will launch a $5 million "Vax & Scratch" lottery program to incentivize people to get vaccinated.
People receive COVID-19 vaccines at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., May 14, 2021.


New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state will give people $20 scratch-off lottery tickets for a chance at a $5 million Mega Multiplier Lottery if they receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The program, announced Thursday, will run from May 24 to May 28 at 10 mass vaccination sites run by the state.


Maryland announced the state will offer $2 million in lottery cash prizes to encourage residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.


Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said residents over the age of 18 who sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be entered into the lottery.

"All you have to do to enter is get your shot," Hogan said Thursday.

The cash prizes will be dispersed in daily $40,000 drawings between May 25 to July 3, ending with a $400,000 jackpot, which will be drawn on July 4.


Kentucky residents will get a shot at a $225,000 prize by getting a COVID-19 shot.
A healthcare worker holds a vial of the Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at The University of Louisville Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., December 14, 2020.


The Kentucky Lottery is giving a free Cash Ball 225 ticket — which usually costs $1 per ticket — to COVID-19 vaccine recipients ages 18 and older.

Lottery officials will give 225,000 free tickets out to vaccinated residents in the state.

"I hope this shot at $225,000 will be the incentive needed for more Kentuckians to get a vaccine," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said. "Helping keep our Kentucky communities safe and a free chance at winning hundreds of thousands of dollars is a win-win for everyone involved. "

The program runs until Friday, May 21, or until tickets run out.


Oregon residents who have at least one dose of a COVID-19 will be eligible to win a $1 million jackpot.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown reacts during a press conference in Roseburg, Oregon on October 2, 2015.


Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the state's "Take Your Shot, Oregon" lottery campaign during a news conference on Friday.

Residents ages 18 and up will have a chance to win the $1 million cash prize by getting at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and one person from each of the state's 36 counties will win $10,000.

Residents ages 12 to 17 will be entered in a separate drawing where five winners will each receive $100,000 college savings scholarships.

"Getting vaccinated not only protects you from COVID-19, it helps protect your loved ones," Brown told reporters Friday. "It takes us one step closer to unlocking the restrictions during the pandemic."

"And in Oregon, it now gives you a chance to win $1 million," the Oregon governor continued. "That sounds pretty good."


Colorado announced a new program, "Colorado Comeback Cash," to choose one vaccinated resident a week to win a $1 million jackpot.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wears his signature Broncos mask during a news conference on May 18, 2020.


Colorado Gov. Jared Polis launched the "Colorado Comeback Cash" program to incentivize residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Starting June 4 until July 5, one vaccinated resident will be chosen at random to win $1 million, with one winner each week for five weeks.

To be eligible for the first drawing on June 4, residents must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by June 1.


California launched a $116.5 million lottery on Thursday to incentivize residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference on homelessness in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020.


Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the program, dubbed "Vax for the Win," on Thursday. Residents of California ages 12 and older and have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for the lottery.

"It's our biggest 'thank you' yet to Californians who have received their COVID-19 vaccine," the program's website reads.

On June 15, 10 winners will be chosen oto receive a $1.5 million jackpot each. Another 30 residents will be selected to win a $50,000 cash prize — 15 residents will be chosen on Friday, June 4, and another 15 winners on Friday, June 11.

On top of the larger cash prizes, the program will also give $50 cards — given in the form of a virtual debit card or grocery gift card — to the first two million Californians who start and complete their COVID-19 vaccination upon the lottery's launch date on May 27.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
×