Maryland to offer lottery prizes for COVID-19 vaccinations

Any Maryland resident at least 18 years old who gets vaccinated against COVID-19 will be eligible for a daily lottery drawing to win $40,000, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Thursday.

With vaccine rates dropping, the promotion is aimed at raising awareness to increase the number of Marylanders who are vaccinated for COVID-19. Hogan said nearly 70 percent of the state has received at least one shot.

Open to all: All Maryland residents who have received a COVID-19 vaccine administered in Maryland at any time are automatically eligible, not just people who are newly vaccinated. The earlier in the promotion a person gets vaccinated, the more opportunities they have to win.

Incentives: Maryland is the third state to announce a lottery incentive as a way to try to get more people to get vaccinated, after New York and Ohio.

States are entering a difficult phase of their vaccine rollout programs in which they are tasked with getting vaccine-hesitant individuals to receive the shot.