Washington, D.C. – Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District introduced legislation to create a national vaccine lottery. The Take Your Shot Act would award $1 million to 100 winners who have received at least one dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, vaccination rates in Ohio increased by more than 28% among residents 16 and older after the state announced a vaccination lottery.

Last month, Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the White House COVID-19 response team, said state vaccine lotteries “appear to be working…because the vast number of people who are not yet vaccinated are actually not opposed to getting vaccinated; they’re just not prioritizing it very high. There are other things going on in their lives. And so things that draw attention to it, like the lotteries in those states…are – not surprisingly – very effective…” 

“You don’t have to be from Las Vegas to know that everyone enjoys having a chance to win big,” said Congresswoman Titus (NV-1). “With vaccine demand slowing down, we have to get creative. Governors across the country have shown vaccine lotteries can work, and we can make even more of a difference at the federal level. For a relatively small investment, a national vaccine lottery could save lives and help get our economy back on track.”

The Take Your Shot Act would require the Treasury Department to establish a national vaccine lottery within 30 days of enactment to provide 100 randomly selected winners with $1 million dollars. To be eligible, winners must be 18 or older, and have a valid Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.  

To accept a prize, each randomly selected individual must provide proof of vaccination status. The Take Your Shot Act does not authorize the federal government to establish a national vaccine registry. To protect the privacy of the 100 winners, only the county and state of each winner would be announced by the Treasury Department.