Michigan COVID Vaccination Lottery: What To Know

LANSING, MI — Michiganders who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine could have the chance to win more than $5 million in cash prizes or a $55,000 college scholarship, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday morning in Lansing.

Whitmer's announcement was that of the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes, which was created through a partnership between the state, the Michigan Association of United Ways and Meijer and essentially gives Michiganders 18 and older who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a lottery ticket for potential winnings.

The plan is similar to other incentive-based operations launched around the nation. Philadelphia launched a similar incentive program entering vaccinated residents into sweepstakes drawing. In Michigan, Oakland County recently announced a $50 gift card incentive for vaccinated residents.

Ohio launched a vaccine lottery incentive but ended the program with the state below the 50 percent vaccinated threshold, and Whitmer said on Thursday she wants Michigan's plan to one-up Ohio's.

"I know some of you must be thinking, 'Didn't Ohio do this first?' Well, yes, they did, but in typical Michigan fashion, we wanted to do it bigger and better than they can do it in Ohio," she said.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the state's new program:

Who Can Win?

Wondering if you're eligible for Michigan's latest lottery? Well, for the $1M Drawing, $50k Daily Drawings and $2M Drawing, any legal U.S. resident living in Michigan who is also 18 or older and has had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is eligible, according to the announcement.

Michiganders between 12 and 17 years old who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for the scholarship drawings. However, the state said a parent or legal guardian must enter the eligible individual in the Sweepstakes for the Scholarship Drawing.

What Are the Prizes?

There are four lottery contests Michiganders can win. One is a $1 million drawing, another is a $2 million drawing, and then there are also $50,000 winnings. The $50,000 winnings will be drawn daily, officials said.

When and How Can People Register?

For the $1 million drawings, people can enter to win from July 1-10. Entry for the $2 million drawing stretches from July 1 to Aug. 3. That same stretch is the case for the $50,000 drawings. Scholarship entries must be submitted between July 1-30.

People can register online here.

Why is Michigan Doing a Lottery Now?

Michigan waited a while to do an incentive program and is hopeful that Thursday's announcement will be the final push to move the state past its goal of having 70 percent of residents vaccinated.

As of June 29, nearly 62 percent of state residents 16 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data, but officials said Thursday that they have seen a decline in the rate at which people are being vaccinated. They hope the plan changes that.

"We are seeing the rate of vaccinations slow, and we are tracking the spread of variants — in particular, the Delta variant, as we're seeing what's occurring across the world, and we do have that present in the state of Michigan," said Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel. "So, vaccines continue to be our path forward, and we still have work to do to make sure that we reach at least 70 percent of eligible Michiganders, but I am optimistic that we will get there."

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