MD Paying $2M In Prizes To Select Vaccinated Residents

MARYLAND — Get your shot for a shot to win.

That's the unofficial tagline for Maryland's latest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which tries to entice residents to get their shot by offering a total of $2 million in cash prizes.

The promotion is a collaboration between the state's health department and the Maryland Lottery, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said daily drawings will be held from May 25 to July 3. Each day, the Maryland Lottery will randomly select and award $40,000 to a vaccinated resident.

Then, on July 4, one lucky winner will receive a cash prize of $400,000.

"Entry is very simple. All you have to do is get vaccinated for COVID-19 here in Maryland, be a Maryland resident, and be 18 or older," the Republican governor said.

Entry or registration is not required.

"If you've not been vaccinated yet ... the sooner you get your shot, the more lottery drawings you will be eligible for," Hogan said.

Joining Hogan at the press conference was Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica, who explained how the program would work.

According to Medenica, the state's health department will use a secure database to randomly assign a number to each vaccine recipient. The Maryland Lottery will then select a daily winning number. All winners will be notified by the health department.

"In Maryland, of course, lottery winners are allowed to stay anonymous. So there's protection on that end for people who don't want their names to be revealed," Medenica said. "However, we would very much enjoy it if at least some of our winners will let us celebrate with them."

The vaccine lottery program is the state's latest effort to inoculate residents in hopes of returning to a pre-pandemic normal. Maryland joins a number of other U.S. states offering incentives to get vaccinated.

Ohio, for instance, recently announced weekly drawings of $1 million to adults who have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot. In New York, adults who get vaccinated at a state-run mass vaccination site will receive a free $20 scratch-off ticket.

On Thursday, Hogan said Maryland has vaccinated more than 87 percent of people over the age of 65, and more than 67 percent of people 18 and older.

Prizes will be paid from the Lottery’s marketing budget, and will not decrease its contribution to the Maryland General Fund, Hogan's office said.

The governor's office released answers to top questions about the promotion:

What is the $2 Million VaxCash Promotion?
To incentivize Marylanders to get the COVID-19 vaccination, the Maryland Lottery will award one vaccinated person per day a $40,000 prize every day from May 25 through July 3. And on July 4, a final drawing will be held to award one vaccinated person a $400,000 prize.

How do I enter?
All you have to do is be a Maryland resident and get at least one vaccination for COVID-19 in Maryland. There are no extra steps. Certain employees of the Maryland Department of Health and the Maryland Lottery, as well as certain vendor employees are not eligible. See official rules for details.

What if I am already vaccinated? Am I still eligible?
Yes. Maryland residents who have received at least one vaccination for COVID-19 administered in Maryland at any time are eligible.

Can my kids enter?
Winners must be at least 18 years of age.

How will you conduct the drawings?
The drawings will be conducted using a random number generator – a computer program that will randomly select a number from within the range of those provided to the Maryland Lottery by the Maryland Department of Health. The Maryland Lottery will not have anyone’s name. It will draw numbers only.

How will I be notified if I won?
Winners will first receive a notification from the Maryland Department of Health, which will send each winner a “$2 Million VaxCash Promotion Authorization Form” that will allow the Maryland Department of Health to release information to the Maryland Lottery. Winners must sign and return the authorization form to the Maryland Department of Health in order to accept the prize. By signing and returning the form, winners will give the Maryland Department of Health consent to provide their names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses to the Maryland Lottery so that the Lottery can contact winners to guide them through the claims process.

How will the Maryland Lottery know that I have been vaccinated? How is my personal data being protected?
The Maryland Department of Health maintains the records and personal data of those who have had COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Maryland within a secure computer system. The Maryland Lottery has no access to that system. The Maryland Department of Health will randomly assign a number to each person for the purposes of this promotion.

Each day, the Maryland Department of Health will report to the Maryland Lottery the total number of Maryland residents 18 or older who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination administered in Maryland that was received and accepted as valid in the Immunization Information System, ImmuNet. This report will not include anyone’s identity or other personal information.

The Maryland Lottery will use a random number generator to draw a winning number each day from within the range provided by the Maryland Department of Health. The Maryland Department of Health will then make the initial contact with winners. The Maryland Lottery will only receive the winners’ names and contact information after they have signed and returned their “$2 Million VaxCash Promotion Authorization Form” to the Maryland Department of Health.

The Maryland Lottery will then guide the winners through its standard prize claiming process, which requires each winner to provide a copy of their Social Security Number, a valid photo ID, and a signed Maryland Lottery claim form. Prizes can be claimed by mail or in person, by appointment only at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.

Can I remain anonymous if I win?
The winners of this promotion will be permitted to remain anonymous. For winners from larger towns with populations of 60,000 or more, the location of the winners’ hometowns will be published. For winners from smaller towns, only the winners’ home counties will be published.

What if I was vaccinated out of state?
The drawings are open to Maryland residents who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination administered in Maryland. The State of Maryland does not have access to vaccination records from other jurisdictions.

Do I have to pay taxes on my winnings?
For tax purposes, the prize will be treated like any other Maryland Lottery prize. For all prizes larger than $5,000, taxes are automatically deducted (24% for federal tax and 8.95% for Maryland resident state tax). Outstanding obligations to state and child support arrears will be deducted from the prizes if winners owe any such debts. The Maryland Lottery encourages the winners of all large prizes to consider speaking with a qualified tax professional.

If I had more than one COVID-19 shot, do I have more than one chance to win? Can I win more than once?
No. Each Maryland resident who has had at least one COVID-19 vaccination administered in Maryland will be listed in the Maryland Department of Health’s system only once and is included in every drawing thereafter. But each person is only eligible to win once.

Is there a deadline to participate in the drawings?
The last drawing of the promotion will be held on July 4, 2021. You must be vaccinated, and a record of your vaccination must be received and accepted as valid in the State of Maryland’s Immunization Information System, ImmuNet, by 11:59:59 p.m. on July 3, 2021 to be eligible.

What if I don’t want to participate in the drawings?
Winners who do not wish to accept the prize may decline when they are contacted by the Maryland Department of Health.

This breaking news story will be updated.