Ohio's vaccine lottery makes millionaire of 22-year-old

CLEVELAND/SACRAMENTO • Ms Abbigail Bugenske, 22, had all but forgotten about her long-shot bid to become Ohio's next millionaire.

As the clock inched towards 7.29pm on Wednesday night, the state was preparing to announce the winner of its first lottery drawing for vaccinated Ohioans live on television.

Ms Bugenske was driving from Cincinnati to her parents' house near Cleveland when she got a call that left her in hysterics. The governor was on the line. She had just won US$1 million (S$1.33 million).

"I thought it was a prank call initially," said Ms Bugenske, who soon saw an explosion of messages on her phone that confirmed the news. She walked into her parents' house in disbelief.

"I was screaming enough that my parents thought that I was crying and that something was wrong," she recalled. "I started yelling that I won a million dollars and I was going to be a millionaire."

Ms Bugenske, who graduated from college last year and recently moved to the Cincinnati area to take a job as an engineer, won the money through Ohio's new lottery offering US$1 million to people who have had at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine.

Ohio residents who have had at least one shot are eligible to enter the lottery, no matter when they got vaccinated.

Over 2.7 million Ohioans entered to win US$1 million in the lottery, and additional drawings will take place in the coming weeks.

"I would encourage anyone to get the vaccine," said Ms Bugenske. "If winning a million dollars isn't incentive enough, I don't really know what would be."

Ohio's lottery also offers a full-ride scholarship to college for those aged 12 to 17.

Earlier this week, 14-year-old Joseph Costello, a high school student from Inglewood, won the first scholarship out of more than 104,000 entries.

The vaccine incentive effort, which has drawn both enthusiasm and scrutiny, is gaining traction across the country, as states such as Colorado, Maryland and Oregon offer similar incentives to boost waning vaccinations.

One criticism of such programmes, however, is that they may do little to change the minds of people who are against the vaccines. Ms Bugenske, for example, said she got her shot as soon as she became eligible, before the lottery was announced, and later entered her name for the drawing.

In the latest - and most lucrative - vaccine incentive drive, California will offer US$116.5 million in cash and gift cards to residents who get vaccinated before June 15, reported Reuters.

The move by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is part of an effort to boost vaccinations as the state prepares to fully reopen its economy on June 15.

Ten Californians who are inoculated before that date stand to win lottery-style prizes of US$1.5 million apiece, while another 30 people will each win US$50,000.

Director of the California Department of Public Health Tomas Aragon said the move is "designed to encourage those who need extra support to get vaccinated and help keep California safe".

From Thursday, the first two million Californians to get vaccinated will each win US$50 gift cards for cash or groceries, the state said.

With a few exceptions, all Californians who have been vaccinated since the jabs first became available in the state will be entered into drawings for the larger prizes, Mr Newsom said on Thursday.

NYTIMES, REUTERS