NY Offers $5 Million “Vax and Scratch” Lottery Tickets at 10 Mass Vaccination Sites Next Week

By Yehudit Garmaise   

     “You can win up to $5 million if you get vaccinated next week at one of the 10 mass vaccination sites across the state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he announced his new “Vax and Scratch” statewide initiative that provides an irresistible incentive for those who are either hesitant or dubious about getting their shots.

     “You get a vaccine, and you get a Vax and Scratch mega lottery ticket,” said Gov. Cuomo this morning at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. 

      From Monday, May 24, to Friday, May 28, New Yorkers who roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated will receive multiplier lottery cards, which have a 1 in 9 chance of winning at most $5 million and other prizes that go down to $20.

      “It is creative solutions like this that will lead New York out of the pandemic and into the future,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

       “If you are undecided, if you are dubious: now you have an added bonus,” the governor said. “Don’t miss this chance.”

        In addition to the rewards of prizes, freebies, and increased activities, the governor said that New Yorkers should get their shot for the simple reason that vaccination protects the health of New Yorkers. 

       “The practical reason to get the vaccine is that it protects your own health, your families’ health, and your neighbors’ health,” said Gov. Cuomo, who said that more than more than 18 million residents of the state, which is over 60% have already been vaccinated.

     “Hundreds of millions of people in this nation have gotten this vaccine, which has been proven over and over and over,” said Gov. Cuomo, who added that as summer approaches and New Yorkers’ travel increases, the state will be providing vaccination centers at New York’s airports.

       “New York is coming back," the governor said. "All we have to do is turn on the pilot light by getting vaccinated.”

 (Photo by: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)