Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×