You have to vax to win: State's $116.5 million vaccination lottery begins June 4.

If you haven't received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine yet, now is the time to do it for a chance to win cash with odds better than winning the California Lottery.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is betting that some Californians who have been dragging their feet about getting vaccinated will be inspired by money so on May 27 he announced a vaccine lottery called "Vax for the Win" with prizes totaling up to $116.5 million.

The main event will happen on June 15 when 10 people will be selected to win $1.5 million each.

Anyone age 12 and up who has received at least one dose of the vaccine is eligible to win. Winners get the cash when they've completed both doses of vaccine, if necessary. For minors, cash will be placed in a savings account until they're 18.

Like in a TV commercial for a set of knives, the state says on its website, "But that's not all." 

There are also "$50,000 Fridays," where another 15 people will be selected to win $50,000 each on June 4 and June 11, for a total of 30 winners.

And for up to 2 million Californians who received the first dose of the vaccine on May 27 or after, they will receive either a $50 electronic gift card or a $50 grocery gift card. A code to receive a card will be sent a week to 10 days after the second dose.

Other states are also conducting vaccination lotteries to nudge people to get vaccinated but so far California's is the largest in cash prizes. According to a report in CalMatters, the odds to win the $1.5 million prize are are 1 in 2 million, better than most lotteries. For example the odds of winning $1 million in the California Lottery's Powerball are 1 in 11.7 million.

The money for the prizes is coming from the state's emergency fund account and from federal Covid-19 relief money.

Details are available at covid19.ca.gov/vax-for-the-win.

For information on where to get a vaccination in Monterey County, see the Weekly's vaccine guide. Vaccines are now plentiful and in many cases it's possible to walk in to a clinic or pharmacy to be vaccinated without an appointment.

[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained the incorrect date for the prize drawings. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information.]