A new vaccine lottery in Illinois will offer a total of $10 million in total prize money to residents who get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday.
Wednesday marks the final day Illinois residents can get their first dose of the COVID vaccine in order to be entered in the first drawing of the state's new vaccine lottery next month.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the vaccine lottery earlier this month, offering a total of $10 million in prize money to residents who get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The "All In for the Win" lottery will give out the $10 million in the form of $7 million in cash prizes for adults and $3 million in scholarships for youth, all distributed through weekly drawings, Pritzker said.
The Illinois Lottery will draw names each week beginning July 8, Pritzker said. The cash prizes will range from $100,000 to $1 million, he said, while children can win a Bright Start college savings plan worth $150,000 apiece.
Anyone who gets at least one vaccine dose in Illinois is eligible to win, Pritzker said, noting there are "no sign-up, no forms, no waiting in line" and that anyone who gets their first dose before July 1 will be eligible for the first drawing on July 8 and every drawing thereafter.
"You did your part already, and this is a way of saying thank you," Pritzker said. "It's also our way of saying to those who haven't yet been vaccinated: please join us. Vaccines are incredibly effective. And they keep you protected, but they also make your community safer."
As of Wednesday, Illinois has administered more than 12 million doses of the three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S.
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A total of 5,819,251 Illinois residents above the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. That equates to roughly 53.7% of the state's population over 12.
A total of 7,487,473 Illinois residents over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That figure is about 69.1% of the 12+ population.
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Pritzker has said that his goal is to get 80 to 85% of eligible residents vaccinated through a variety of incentives, which have so far included things like Six Flags Great America tickets and free trap shooting range plays in the state.
The Illinois plan is similar to ones announced in other states so far. Vaccine-incentive lotteries have already launched in Ohio, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, New York state and Oregon.
