COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Ohio’s health orders surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic would end June 2 for most Ohioans, he further incentivized both adults and teens to get vaccinated with the chance to win free college or a huge payday.
During his address to Ohioans on Wednesday afternoon, DeWine announced Ohioans 18-years-old and older, and who have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, will be eligible for a drawing to win $1 million.
The first drawing will be May 26, with five consecutive drawings taking place for a total of five $1 million winners.
The pool of names for the “Ohio Vax-a-Million” drawing will be derived from the Ohio Secretary of State’s publicly available voter registration database. A webpage also will be available for people to sign up for the drawings if they are not in the Secretary of State database.
The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and they will be conducted by the Ohio Lottery. DeWine said the money will come from existing federal Coronavirus Relief Funds.
Also on May 26, 12- to 17-year-old Ohioans who have been vaccinated will have a chance to win four years of free college at any Ohio public university, including tuition, room and board and books.
An electronic portal will be opened on May 18 for the teen-age group to register to win.
DeWine admitted he knows some people will think the drawings are too much.
“I know that some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy. This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,’ but truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who want it — is a life lost to COVID-19.”
During his speech, DeWine referenced the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and multiple minor league teams offering discounts on tickets to their games. Other businesses, like White Castle, Kroger, Scott’s Miracle-Gro and Marathon Petroleum are offering employees and customers deals as well.
“We need more businesses to offer these kinds of incentives,” DeWine said.
DeWine said more information will be released in the coming days.
