$5M Vaccine Incentive Lottery: Rules, Privacy, Drawing Schedule

Five Coloradans are set to become $1 million richer after new coronavirus vaccination lottery was launched Tuesday in Colorado.

The Colorado Comeback Cash program aims to boost vaccination rates in the state by offering five vaccinated residents ages 18 and older the chance to win $1 million each, Gov. Jared Polis announced in a news conference Tuesday.

The first drawing is scheduled for June 4, and anyone who's received at least one dose of their vaccine before June 1 will be automatically entered to win, the governor said. A winner is set to be announced each week through July 7.

"May the odds be ever in your favor," Polis said. "I look forward to congratulating five lucky Coloradans."

The state worked with Colorado Lottery to launch the sweepstakes, which will assign random numbers to residents so that the agency has no access to people's names and information, the governor said. Nearly 90 percent of Coloradans gave their phone numbers during their vaccination registrations, so the drawing process is expected to go smoothly, officials said.

To be eligible to win, a person must:

• Live in Colorado
• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Not be an administrator of the Colorado Immunization Information System, a Colorado Lottery employee conducting the drawing, an auditor certifying the drawing, the Governor of the State of Colorado, the Lt. Governor of the State of Colorado or the Senior Director of the Colorado Lottery.
• Have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose if receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
• Have not already won.
• Have signed and submitted all required documentation and releases as part of the claims process by the deadlines identified in the drawing procedures.

The funding for the new initiative comes from the Cares Act, Polis said.

“I hope this exciting public health initiative encourages even more Coloradans to get vaccinated now, and for those who have already taken this important step, you’re already eligible to win the big prize," the governor said.

"This isn’t just about the money, but about getting more Coloradans the protection they need from this deadly virus so we can put this pandemic behind us and power the Colorado comeback.”

A separate scholarship program is expected to be launched over the next week for Coloradans ages 12 to 15, the governor said.

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The announcement comes after successful incentivization programs were launched in other states, such as Ohio's Vax-a-Million $1 million lottery, which caused vaccinations to spike more than 25 percent. New York, Maryland and Oregon have also set up vaccine lotteries to boost declining vaccination rates.

>> More information about the Colorado Comeback Cash program can be found here, and the official rules can be found here.