* NBC 5…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday is set to announce a new promotion to encourage Illinois residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19: a vaccine lottery.

Pritzker will detail the promotion during a news conference at 1:30 p.m. at Access Community Health Network in Chicago, according to his public schedule.

You can watch it live at NBC 5’s site. I’ll likely update this post later.

…Adding… A big one…

*** UPDATE *** Press release…

As Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in vaccinating our residents, Governor Pritzker announced a new $10 million ‘All In for the Win’ promotion that will reward vaccinated Illinoisans by automatically entering them into a series of cash and scholarship lotteries with prizes up to $1 million.

More than 70% of Illinois adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest to reach President Biden’s goal.

“All In For The Win is yet another way we’re working to ensure every single resident is protected from COVID-19, and especially, this virus’ more dangerous variants,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Vaccines are incredibly effective and keep you protected – and they also make your community safer. Getting the shot is how we truly end this thing, so vax up, Illinois. If you do, you might even hit the jackpot.”

“While our vaccination numbers in Illinois are good, in fact the best in the Midwest, we still need more people – as many people as possible – to get vaccinated,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The pandemic is not over and as long as the virus is allowed to circulate, it can mutate and form new variants. We need to slow the virus’ activity – and the best way to do that is through vaccination.”

All In for the Win offers $7 million in cash prizes to vaccinated adults, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, and $3 million in scholarship awards to vaccinated youth, held in Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan. Residents who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois are automatically entered into the lotteries. There are no sign ups, no forms, and no lines to wait in.

Residents are encouraged to get vaccinated before July 1st to ensure they’re entered into every draw and have the most chances to win a prize, including the first million-dollar top prize on July 8th. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will continue to check their records before each drawing. Once entered, residents remain eligible in all future drawings, unless they win.

The first drawing will take place on Thursday, July 8, 2021, and the promotion will run until Thursday, August 26, 2021, with a series of drawings for 43 cash prizes — including three million-dollar jackpots — and 20 scholarship awards.

One million-dollar cash winner and three $150K scholarship winners will be drawn on July 8th, and weekly drawings will continue throughout the summer. Drawings include weekly $100K cash prizes and regional lotteries to ensure people from every part of the state are among the lucky winners. The grand finale — which includes two million-dollar cash prizes and seventeen scholarship awards – will be drawn on August 26. To view the complete drawing schedule, visit allin.illinois.gov.

After each draw, IDPH will reach out to the winners to ask for authorization to share their name and contact information with the Illinois Lottery. At no time will any state entity other than IDPH have information about a participant or winner without their consent. The Illinois Lottery will then help the winner through the claim process to receive their prize.