Ohio’s Lottery for Vaccinated People Is Pure Bribery — and It’s Brilliant
Protection against illness and death should be enough to convince people to roll up their sleeves. But since it isn’t, let’s bring on the gimmicks.
“You can’t win if you don’t play!”
“Odds are, you’ll have fun!”
These are slogans I knew growing up, along with a 7:30 pm prohibition on any child-made sound as the Ohio Pick-3 aired on TV. My dad would strategize, consult tattered books listing previous winning numbers, carefully choose his number combination, and lay out a dollar or two he’d almost always lose. But he won enough to keep him interested, betting his luck might change.
There’s a certain brilliance in Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s “Vax-a-Million” announcement. Over the next five weeks, each week a $1 million dollar winner will be selected from Ohio’s voter registration database. To be eligible, a person must be 18 or older, live in Ohio, and be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the drawing. A scholarship drawing is opening up too for kids 12 to 17 years old. Each week, one vaccinated student who registers will win a four-year scholarship that covers tuition, room, board, and books.
