Washington: how the vaccination lottery will work
The state of Washington has decided to follow the example of Ohio and other states to promote Covid-19 vaccination through a lottery.
US.- Governor Jay Inslee has announced a lottery as an incentive for residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The draws will offer four $250,000 prizes, while one person could win a jackpot of $1m.
Other prizes are up for grabs, including tuition money, airline and game tickets and tech gifts like game consoles and smart speakers.
Washington Lottery: eligibility and how it works
All Washington residents regardless of citizenship are eligible if they have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Proof of Washington residency is required to claim a prize.
Employees working at the Office of the Governor, Washington State Lottery or Department of Health, are out of luck and won’t be eligible.
The only thing Washingtonians need to do is get vaccinated. The winners will be drawn from the DOH immunization database.
Inslee said the state is trying to use federal databases to fill in any gaps. It is not immediately clear whether those who received vaccines outside of Washington but live within the state will be included.
Draws will take place every Tuesday starting June 8. The Washington State Lottery will start with a weekly draw for $250,000 for four weeks, before drawing for the $1m grand prize on July 13.
The cash prizes will be for residents 18 and up. Separate draws will be held every week for tech prizes as well as tuition money for those aged 12 to 17.
Washington Lottery: the prizes
There will be 30 prizes of one year of free tuition for 12 to 17 year-olds. The tuition credits will be given to families through the Guaranteed Education Tuition programme.
Besides that, weekly draws include:
- 2 free Alaska Airlines tickets.
- 4 tickets to a Seattle Mariners game and one full suite prize.
- 4 tickets to a Seattle Sounders game in August, plus two autographed jerseys.
- 10 tickets to a Seattle Storm game.
- 4 club level seats at a Seattle Seahawks game, plus parking passes.
- 4 OL Reign 2021 season tickets, plus team-signed jersey.
- 300 Xboxes, Nintendo Switches, 100 Echo Dots and 25 Google Nests.
The state is also giving $1m to Washington’s four-year universities and two-year community and technical colleges to run their own draws for tuition and book assistance.
