Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday a new gimmick to encourage Marylanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19; $2 million in lottery money, distributed at $40,000 a shot.

The idea is a variation on the old Lottery slogan, “you gotta play to win.” In this case, it’s you have to get a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to win.

Hogan said in an afternoon news conference Marylanders 18 and older who get vaccinated, and those who already have had their shots, will be entered in a daily drawing to win $40,000. The drawings will start Tuesday, May 25, and run through July 3. A final drawing on the Fourth of July will award one winner $400,000.

“Promotions like this are just one more way that we're reinforcing the importance of getting every single Marylander we can vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.

The state health department will use vaccination records to randomly assign numbers to people who have been vaccinated, and the state lottery will pick one number a day. The prize money is coming from the lottery’s promotions budget.

The promotion, called VaxCash, is the latest attempt by Hogan to incentivize residents to get vaccinated. Previously, he offered $100 to state employees to get vaccinated, and last week he pushed a partnership with Ledo Pizza that offered free pizzas to people who have gotten their first dose of the vaccine.

It's similar to one in Ohio where the names of vaccinated people go into a weekly lottery for as much as $1 million prizes and scholarships to state universities.

In West Virginia, the government is offering $100 savings bonds to people who get vaccinated.

Urging Marylanders to get vaccinated Hogan said the sooner they do, the more lottery drawings they’ll be eligible for.

“So remember Maryland,” he said, “get your shot for a shot to win.”