BATON ROUGE, La. — Need another reason to get the COVID-19 vaccine? How about 1 million reasons?
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana's newest incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine today: A $1 million lottery.
Fourteen Louisiana residents 18-and-up will win a $100,000 cash prize.
Nine Louisiana residents ages 12-17 will win $100,000 scholarships.
And one Louisiana resident 18-and-older will win $1 million.
Overall, the state is giving away $2.3 million total to vaccinated residents.
To enter, you must be a vaccinated Louisiana resident and you MUST register at ShotAtAMillion.com or call 1-877-356-1511 starting Monday, June 21, at noon.
Weekly drawings will be done during the month of July, every Friday for the $100,000 cash prizes and the $100,000 scholarships.
The $1,000,000 grand prize drawing will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
Full schedule of drawings:
- Enter by July 9, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CDT for the July 14 drawing
- Enter by July 16, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CDT for the July 21 drawing
- Enter by July 23, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CDT for the July 28 drawing
- Enter by July 30, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CDT for the August 4 drawing
- Enter by July 31, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. CDT for the August 4 Grand Prize Drawing
"Before launching our own program we wanted to see how well it worked in other states. Quite frankly, we've been impressed by the success that they've had," Gov. Edwards said.
Vaccinated Louisiana residents also get perks like free admission to state parks and historic sites, as well as a free drink at certain restaurants and bars.
Free entry to Louisiana's state parks lasts until July 31. The free drink is only available for people who were vaccinated in the last seven days and only at participating bars and restaurants.
"This is a win-win for everyone," Edwards said. "And it's a win for our state."
Louisiana has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Around 33% of the state has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, versus around 44% for the US population.