Free Republic

Poor Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D-California) just can’t catch a break. That’s mostly because he’s an incompetent, grasping boob — but who would have thought even he could screw up a multimillion-dollar giveaway to get people vaccinated? The number of weekly vaccinations in Colorado dropped by more than two-thirds between the start and end of the state’s vaccine lottery, following nearly the same trajectory set in the weeks before Gov. Jared Polis announced the $1 million drawings. Plus: “In the week ending July 4 — the last with data on the state’s vaccine dashboard — only about 49,000 people got...

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) - Within a day of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement of the MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes, approximately 464,698 people have applied for the chance to win $5 million, with 23,978 students having applied for the scholarship sweepstakes. The sweepstakes began yesterday and will end on August 3, 2021. This is an innovative way to encourage more Michiganders to get vaccinated, and I am delighted to see so much excitement for the kickoff of the MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes. We understand there are people out there who have questions, and maybe this will motivate them to seek...

A Florida woman reportedly wanted to withdraw $20 from an ATM and was stunned to discover her account boasted what she believed was a jaw-dropping balance of nearly $1 billion. When Julia Yonkowski, of Largo, checked her Chase Bank balance before making the small withdrawal Saturday, her receipt showed $999,985,855.94 in her account, WFLA reported. The stunned customer told the outlet that she wanted to return the massive amount because she could not get a real person to talk to at her bank.

State efforts to juice Covid-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus. While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations there has already fallen off. And states that followed its headline-grabbing example made some small gains without showing evidence of any comparable surge, a POLITICO analysis of federal and state data shows. “It’s just not working,” said Irwin Redlener, who directs the...

Four North Carolinians could win a $1 million cash prize and four lucky students ages 12 to 17 can each get a $125,000 college scholarship. But you have to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine first. If you’ve already gotten yours, don’t worry, you’re already entered! The drawings will be on June 23, July 7, July 21, and August 4. “North Carolina will launch cash drawings for our residents who have gotten a vaccine,” said Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday. It’s another incentive in hopes to boost vaccination numbers statewide. “I encourage people to do it. Let's...

The state of New Mexico is not above a bit of bribery to get people to sign up for their coronavirus shots. New Mexico on Tuesday joined some other states, businesses and organizations offering cash and prizes to those who get vaccinated. The states include Ohio and Oregon, and the businesses rewarding employees for getting shots include Dollar General and Trader Joe’s. A spokesman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suggested the word “bribery” was extreme. A bribe entices a person to do something against their interests, he said. “Getting your shot is definitely in your interest,” the spokesman, Tripp Stelnicki,...

Abbigail Bugenske won a million dollars after getting Vaccinated, and Joseph Costello earned a college scholarship, according to the Vax-A-Million program’s website. Bugenske currently works as an engineer in Silverton, and was overwhelmed by the financial shot in the arm, and tight-lipped after Wednesday’s drawing. Bugenske got vaccinated before the sweepstakes was announced and wants to encourage others to do the same, her mother told the local station. Joseph Costello, 14, posed with Mike DeWine after winning free tuition at any state university. “Congrats, Joseph! You just won a full-ride college scholarship! If you’re between 12 and 17 years-old...

Vaccinated Californians could win up to $1.5 million in a lottery Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, part of a $116.5 million effort to persuade more Golden State residents to get their COVID-19 shots. Ten Californians who got at least one dose will split a $15 million pot on June 15. Vaccinated Californians will also be automatically entered for chances to win $50,000, with 15 winners drawn June 4 and the rest drawn June 11. All Californians 12 years or older are eligible, except for those incarcerated as well as some state workers and their families. The money will be put...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is giving away the country’s largest pot of vaccine prize money, $116.5 million, in an attempt to get millions more inoculated before the most populous U.S. state fully reopens next month. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the prizes, which also include the nation's highest single vaccine prize: $1.5 million. California's reopening is pegged for June 15, and on that day a drawing will be held to award 10 vaccinated people the top prize . Another 30 people will win $50,000 each, with those drawings starting June 4. Anyone 12 and older who has received...

Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday lottery prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million for Oregonians vaccinated against COVID-19 -- a strategy meant to address the dramatically decreasing numbers of residents inoculated each day. All residents 18 and older who’ve received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine by June 27 will be entered into the “Take Your Shot Oregon” lottery, which will be held on June 28.

With vaccine demand dropping, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a $2 million lottery that will hand out dozens of $40,000 cash prizes to vaccinated state residents — with one grand prize of $400,000. Daily drawings for a $40,000 prize will be held from May 25 to July 3. On July 4, the grand prize of $400,000 will be randomly drawn for one winner. All Maryland residents 18 and older who received their coronavirus vaccine in Maryland will be eligible. The lottery is the latest effort by Maryland to get as many people inoculated against the coronavirus as possible, as...

This is not the best way to launder money. A lotto winner who bought a winning $26 million SuperLotto Plus ticket at a California gas station last year accidentally washed away her winnings in the laundry, according to KTLA. The unidentified woman had until Thursday to claim her prize, and speculation about the unclaimed fortune made national news in recent days.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the state will hold lottery drawings awarding one million dollar prizes to five adults who have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 China coronavirus with five youths eligible for four year scholarships to Ohio State University. DeWine made the announcement during an address to the state Wednesday evening in which he announced nearly all state COVID mandates will be lifted effective June 2. DeWine’s statement on the lifting of the health orders, “Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud will remove all pandemic health orders, except those for nursing homes and assisted living facilities, effective three...

away $1 million prizes to five adults, plus another five full-ride public college scholarships to teens who get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday during a statewide televised address. Calling it "Ohio Vax-a-Million," DeWine said drawings will be held for five consecutive Wednesdays, starting May 26, to pick the $1 million winners. The winners will be pulled from the Ohio Secretary of State's voter registration database. The Ohio Lottery will conduct the drawings but the money will come from existing federal coronavirus relief funds. To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, an Ohio resident and...

Investigators say Tipton installed code that let the computers work as should on all but three days of the year — May 27, Nov. 22 and Dec. 29 — when they would produce predictable numbers if the drawings occurred on Wednesdays or Saturdays after 8 p.m.Tipton admitted in court that he provided cohorts with the winning numbers for jackpots in Colorado in 2005, Wisconsin in December of 2007, Kansas in December of 2010 and Oklahoma in 2011.The group, which included Tipton's brother Tommy Tipton and a friend, Texas businessman Robert Rhodes, also attempted to collect a $16.5 million Hot Lotto...

I’d like to suggest that Trump send out the following Tweet. If you voted Trump, purchase a Mega Million Lottery ticket next for Friday. Biden should do the same, instead his supporters should purchase a Power Ball for next Saturday. It seems that the lottery sells about 14M tickets on average per game. So, if 70M people voted for each candidate and purchased a ticket ($2) there should be a huge increase in sales for that particular date. It’s not scientific, but if this went national and people participated the results would be eye-opening. Bet lottery sales for the Trump...

Virginia resident Tony Miles bought 20 identical tickets for a Pick 4 drawing and each ended up winning a $5,000 top prize, earning Miles a total $100,000. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Lottery  Virginia resident Tony Miles bought 20 identical tickets for a Pick 4 drawing and each ended up winning a $5,000 top prize, earning Miles a total $100,000. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Lottery Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A Virginia man won $100,000 from a lottery drawing with a top prize of $5,000 by taking a gamble on 20 identical tickets. Tony Miles of South Boston told Virginia...

A Long Island attorney who specializes in representing people who won major lottery jackpots was arrested by the FBI Tuesday, along with a soldier in the Genovese organized crime family, on charges of ripping off the winners of three lotteries for a total of $107 million, federal prosecutors said. The three alleged victims, who were not named by prosecutors, were described as the winners of a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot; a $245 million Powerball jackpot, and a $150 million jackpot, officials said. Jason Kurland, 45, of Dix Hills, who bills himself as “The Lottery Lawyer,” was charged in federal...

July 29 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man on the hunt for the final top prize in a scratch-off lottery game said he visited about 40 different stores before scratching off the $5 million winner. Kevin Clark of Candler told North Carolina Education Lottery officials he read there was only one top prize remaining in the $5,000,000 Mega Cash scratch-off game, so he set off Thursday to buy as many of the $20 tickets as he could locate. "I had a real good feeling it was going to be in the western part of the state," Clark said. "I went...

SOUTH ROCKWOOD, Mich. (CNN) — When most can’t manage to get a $20 return on a scratch off, one Michigan man walked away with $4 million … TWICE!! “You don’t think you’ll win millions once, and you definitely never think it would happen twice,” said Mark Clark, of South Rockwood, Michigan, after his latest win this month. “It’s hard to put into words exactly what I am feeling.” Clark is 50. His good luck story begins three years ago. At the time, he delivered fuel to a gas station in Hudson, Michigan. He bought an instant game lottery ticket and...