Oregon joins wave of states offering big COVID-19 vaccine incentives: a $1 million lottery jackpot
(Update: Adding governor's, state Treasury news releases with more details)
Scholarships, smaller prizes in each county also part of the 'Take Your Shot, Oregon' campaign
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon, closing in on its COVID-19 vaccination goal, on Friday joined a wave of states across the country by offering a chance at a big prize – in this case, a $1 million lottery jackpot – to encourage those too busy or hesitant to get the shot that they said will help the state end its recent surge and get back to more normal lives.
Gov. Kate Brown said Oregon has made “real progress tamping down” the latest virus surge, with 285 hospitalized patients, the lowest since last month, and a half-dozen counties that have cleared the 65 percent 16-and-over residents with at least one vaccine dose. The state goal is 70 percent of adults by the end of June.
“Every single day, we are getting closer to ending this chapter of the pandemic,” she said. “With summer around the corner, and life starting to return to normal, I think we’re all excited. … but we’re not there just yet.”
At present, 63 percent of adults have received at least one vaccine dose – and to get to the goal of 70 percent by the end of June, the governor said “we will need to pull on every lever we have. So if you’ve been waiting, or just haven’t gotten around to it yet, we’re going to give you an extra incentive: How about a chance to win $1 million?”
Along with the top prize in the “Take Your Shot, Oregon" campaign, there will be $10,000 lottery winners in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. Oregon Lottery rules don’t allow anyone under 18 to participate in the cash drawings, but a special drawing for five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships will be held for vaccinated children ages 12 to 17.
Oregon Lottery Director Barry Pack said everyone who's gotten or gets a vaccine dose by June 27 will be entered into the drawings.
There will be a random drawing, and winners will be notified to either claim their prize or opt out. The drawing will be June 28, with winners announced the following week. The money being given away, totaling $1.86 million, comes from federal coronavirus relief funds.
To protect privacy, lottery officials will only get ID numbers for each vaccinated resident. The lottery will draw from those numbers, then notify the OHA of the winners. The names of those who accept the money will be made public. Those who have medical or other reasons for not receiving the vaccine won't take part in the drawings.
“Right now, getting vaccinated is easier than it’s ever been,” the governor said, noting that local public health departments and community organizations are partnering with health care providers to improve access, so 250,000 more Oregonians can get vaccinated in the next few weeks.
“We can do this,” Brown said, urging Oregonians to “Take Your Shot. It can save your life, and just maybe make you a millionaire.”
Dr. Ashby Monk, executive director of the Stanford Global Projects Center, said he jumped out of his chair when Oregon officials came to him last month to help develop the game as an effective incentive.
“We’ve learned that messaging based on fear, negative consequences, or even rational arguments about science of education, these can struggle to get through to individuals who are feeling anxiety and stress,” Monk said. "It’s tough to cut through.”
Monk said researchers have found that "one tool is surprisingly powerful: games and variable reward incentives, such as raffles, other games of chance," which he said are “at the cutting edge of the science of motivation. … Games have been shown, in vaccines, to enhance knowledge and improve uptake. … Incentives that can change your life with big rewards do inspire people to take positive action.”
It’s not about convincing those opposed to the vaccines, but those on the fence or who haven’t made doing so a priority, officials said.
And asked about vaccine foes' labeling of such prizes as "bribery," Monk said, "It's not meant to be a bribe. It's an incentive."
About the blowback over the recent guidelines update that involves requiring a proof of vaccination to drop mask requirements, Brown rejected the term “passport” and said businesses do have a choice, to continue requirement masks. She also said she’s heard plenty from businesses and frontline workers about the “incredibly challenging” guidelines, and that there’ll be more conversations over the next couple weeks.
“The reality is, this is an interim measure until we can fully lift our safety protocol,” she said.
Brown later said even after the 70 percent vaccine benchmark is reached and many restrictions are lifted, the state will continue to align with CDC masking guidance -- "which can change" -- on issues such as continuing to require masks in health care settings when around those are medically vulnerable.
News release from Gov. Kate Brown's office:
Governor Kate Brown Announces $1 Million “Take Your Shot Oregon” Vaccination Campaign
All vaccinated Oregonians 12 and older eligible for cash prizes or scholarships
One $1 million prize, 36 $10,000 county winners, and five $100,000 scholarship winners
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today the launch of the Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign for all vaccinated Oregonians. Oregonians 18 and older will have the chance to win $1 million or one of 36 $10,000 prizes––with one winner in each county in Oregon. Oregonians age 12 to 17 will have a chance to win one of five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships. All Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the draw date will be entered to win.
“Vaccines are the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19, and our fastest way to end this pandemic,” said Governor Kate Brown. “The Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign is a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communities safe. It’s never been easier to get a vaccine, so don’t miss your shot to enter!”
The campaign is a collaboration between the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Lottery, and the Oregon State Treasury, and is funded with $1.86 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Act dollars. With the help of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Health Authority will draw names for winners in each category. No personal identifying information will be shared with the Oregon Lottery, and winners will be given the option to opt out in order to preserve patient privacy. Current employees and family members of the Oregon Lottery, the Governor’s Office, the Treasurer’s Office, and the Oregon Health Authority will be ineligible to win.
“We are excited that Treasury’s College Savings Plan can help with the effort to increase vaccination rates in Oregon,” said State Treasurer Tobias Read. “This is a win-win: get vaccinated now to protect yourself and others, and get the chance to fund your future through a scholarship that can be used for higher education and job training.”
The drawing will take place on June 28, with names announced the following week. The cut off for names being added to the vaccine database is midnight on June 27.
Governor Brown made the announcement today in a press conference with Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen, Oregon Lottery Director Barry Pack, and Dr. Ashby Monk, Executive Director for the Global Projects Center at Stanford University.
Additional Materials
- A copy of the Governor's prepared remarks from today's press conference is available here.
- More information on the campaign is available here.
- More information on vaccines is available at covidvaccine.oregon.gov.
Video Links
- A recording of today's live-streamed press conference is available on YouTube.
- Please note the video starts at the 29:35 mark.
- A recording of a Spanish language translation is available on OHA's Facebook page.
News release from the Oregon State Treasury:
Vaccinated Oregonians Qualify for $100,000 College Scholarships Through "Take Your Shot" Campaign Partnership
Getting vaccinated: good for your health, your pocket book, and your educational prospects
Salem, Ore. May 21, 2021 – Oregonians, if you’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 or are planning to, you have a chance to win one of five $100,000 college scholarships. The Oregon Treasury and the Oregon College Savings Plan today announced their partnership with Governor Brown’s “Take your shot” campaign, encouraging Oregonians age 12 and older to get vaccinated with the added incentive of a chance to win a scholarship award. The state is also giving away a $1 million prize and a number of other cash prizes.
If Oregonians have received at least a first dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, they are automatically entered to win through the state’s vaccine database. With the help of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Health Authority will draw names of winners for both cash and scholarship prizes on June 28, with names being announced on July 6.
“We are excited that Treasury’s College Savings Plan can help with the effort to increase vaccination rates in Oregon,” said State Treasurer Tobias Read. “This is a win-win: get vaccinated now to protect yourself and others, and get the chance to fund your future through a scholarship that can be used for higher education and job training.”
Scholarship prize dollars will be placed in Oregon College Savings Plan accounts with the Oregon Treasury serving as the account owner, and the individual prizewinner designated as the beneficiary. Oregon College Savings Plan accounts are simple to manage and flexible. Funds can be used at most U.S. higher education institutions and many abroad, including trade school, community college, and apprenticeships.
“Managing these scholarships fits perfectly with the mission of the Oregon College Savings Plan,” said Michael Parker, Executive Director for the Oregon Treasury Savings Network. “We are committed to making higher education more accessible and affordable to communities statewide by offering year-round incentives to make it easier for Oregonians with dreams for the future to save and to save early.”
Popular Oregon College Savings Plan incentives include their Baby Grad and Kinder Grad programs, which provide a $25 match to accounts opened for a child prior to their first birthday and for Kindergartners aged 5 or 6 years old. Oregon also offers a refundable tax credit (worth up to $300) for higher education savings, allowing more families to benefit from saving for college.
For more information about the campaign and available cash prizes, please visit Governor Brown’s State of Oregon homepage.
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The Oregon College Savings Plan is a state-sponsored savings program that comes with special tax advantages and can be opened by just about anyone—parents, family, friends, even future students. The money saved in the Oregon College Savings Plan grows tax-free and can be used for qualified expenses at any accredited, post-secondary institution or trade school. To learn more and to open an account, please visit www.oregoncollegesavings.com or call 866-772-8464.
The Oregon Treasury Savings Network, part of the Oregon State Treasury, was launched in January 2001 to administer the Oregon College Savings Plan. It has since expanded to administer the Oregon ABLE Savings Plan and national ABLE for ALL Savings Plan, and the first state-run retirement program, OregonSaves.
