Vax-a-Million: When Will 1st $1 Million Winner Be Announced?

OHIO — The first winner of Ohio's Vax-a-Million lottery will be announced Wednesday at 7:29 p.m.

The Vax-a-Million lottery will see $1 million awarded to a randomly selected vaccinated Ohioan. The lottery will pick five winners in consecutive weeks. Ohioans need to opt into the lottery for a chance to win.

More than 2.7 million Ohioans registered for the first chance to win $1 million, the Ohio Lottery announced. A random number generator was used to select a winner on Monday and health officials have been verifying the winner's vaccination status.

"We made the decision to try this [lottery] and see what it would do," Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "We've been more than happy with the results."

Read more: Vax-a-Million By The Numbers: How Many Registered, Rate Increases

The lottery is an opt-in program, meaning vaccinated residents are not automatically entered into the contest. Instead, residents must register online at ohiovaxamillion.com. Those without Internet access can also enter by phone at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).

"Once you enter, your entry will be carried over through all the drawings. You do not need to submit your name each week. The entry list will be reviewed, and all duplicate entries will be removed prior to each week's drawing. In addition, any winner will be removed from the eligible draw list for subsequent drawings," the Ohio Department of Health said.

Here's how the winner was selected: