Partnership between Maryland Lottery, Maryland Department of Health incentivizes Marylanders to get COVID-19 booster shots
In an effort to incentivize Marylanders to get COVID-19 booster vaccines, Governor Larry Hogan, the Maryland Lottery, and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced the launch of the VaxCash 2.0 Promotion, which will award $2 million in cash prizes to a total of 12 Maryland residents who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
VaxCash 2.0 follows last year’s successful collaboration between the Lottery and MDH for the VaxCash Promotion that ran from May 25 through July 4, 2021, awarding $2 million in prizes to vaccinated Marylanders.
For VaxCash 2.0, weekly drawings will be conducted each Tuesday from February 15 through May 3, 2022. Maryland residents 18 and older who have received an initial shot(s) and a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine at eligible facilities in Maryland at any time are eligible to win. No registration or entry is needed.
“It is clear that getting fully protected with a booster is the single most important thing that you can do right now to minimize the impact of COVID-19 and its variants and to help us finally move on from this pandemic,” Hogan said during a Feb. 8 press conference to announce VaxCash 2.0.
The promotion will kick off with a drawing on February 15 that will award one vaccinated and boosted Marylander a $500,000 prize. The next 10 weekly drawings will each award one $50,000 prize. And the final drawing will be held on May 3 and will award a $1 million prize.
For complete details about VaxCash 2.0, including the official rules and a list of frequently asked questions and answers, visit the VaxCash 2.0 page.
“Fighting a once-in-a-century pandemic takes a whole-of-government response, and we’re extremely proud to do our part for the state,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin. “We hope everyone who is able to get boosted will do so, and we’re eager to meet the VaxCash 2.0 winners.”
Each eligible Maryland resident will be randomly assigned a number in a secure system maintained by MDH, which serves as the custodian of Maryland’s vaccination records. Separately, the Lottery will use a random number generator to select a winning number each week from the total number of people who have been vaccinated.
MDH will notify the winners, who must provide written consent of their willingness to accept the prize. Then, the Lottery will contact the winners with instructions on how to claim.
Prizes will be paid from funds the State of Maryland received via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), federal legislation that included allocations to state governments for COVID-19 relief and vaccination efforts.
