Have you been vaccinated in Colorado? You could win a million dollars for that.
Every vaccinated Coloradan, starting June 1, is automatically entered into a drawing to win a million dollars, in a statewide effort to increase vaccination rates. Governor Jared Polis announced the Colorado Comeback Cash Vaccine Drawing on May 25, where five winners will be chosen to win one million dollars each, granting five million dollars for the program – swerving initial efforts to use funding on advertising and marketing tactics to draw up vaccination rates.
“Coloradans are powering the comeback every day by being vaccinated, and to help us get over the hump, we’re launching comeback cash!” announced Polis during a press conference earlier on Tuesday.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Colorado Lottery will power the Colorado Comeback Cash drawing through a random selection process. Each cash prize will come in a lump sum payment and are subject to taxes.
Governor Polis’ super enthusiastic pitch for Colorado’s vaccine sweepstakes needed an ad. So we made one on @nexton9news. pic.twitter.com/XycUlfiNwi
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) May 26, 2021
So far, an estimated 58.5 percent of Coloradans have gotten their first dose of a COVID vaccine, with 51.5 percent fully vaccinated, according to Polis.
“We have seen this kind of drawing work in states like Ohio [and New York and Maryland] where they saw a surge of interest from launching their drawings and we expect we’ll see the same thing here,” said Polis, touting Ohio’s COVID Cash program resulting in a surge among vaccinated minors and an overall “double-digit percent increase.”
Colorado’s program will be exclusively 18 and up, with separate scholarship prizes for vaccinated minors still in the works, according to Polis.
“We hope to see the same effect here in making sure that people are doing the right thing,” said Polis. “And if you’ve been delaying plans to get vaccinated or are still on the fence, now is the time to swing big. It could transform your life.”
The first giveaway will be on June 4. The remaining four will be chosen on June 11, June 18, June 2 and end with the final winner on July 7. You just need to be vaccinated by June 30 in order to have a chance to win.
“Rather than gamble on getting COVID, let’s take a chance on winning a million dollars, that’s a good risk, not a bad risk,” said Polis. “May the odds be forever in your favor Colorado!”
Those odds are estimated to be about one in 500,000, give or take. But with that enthusiasm – screw the million dollars – give us whatever Polis was on during that press conference.
For more information on Colorado Comeback Cash, visit here. Watch the full press conference here.