Vaccine Lotteries Come to 2 More States

Two more states are joining Ohio in offering a COVID-19 vaccine lottery. Starting Tuesday, a vaccinated Maryland adult will be randomly chosen by the Maryland Lottery to win $40,000, one per day for 40 days, CNN reports. Then, on July 4, a $400,000 jackpot will be awarded. In New York, residents who get vaccinated at eligible sites between Monday and Friday next week will receive free scratch-off lottery tickets for the state's Mega Multiplier Lottery, which offers prizes of up to $5 million, the Hill reports.

In Ohio, the first state to announce a vaccine lottery, vaccination rates for those 16 and older increased 28% after the lottery was announced. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in announcing what he calls the state's "Vax and Scratch" program, decried the decreasing vaccination rates in his state. There will be other prizes from the New York State Lottery, ranging from $50,000 down to $20, and Cuomo said there will be a 1 in 9 chance of winning something. Maryland's program, called VaxCash, is open to anyone who's gotten, or gets, at least one shot, the Baltimore Sun reports. (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)