TOLEDO, Ohio — The second Vax-a-Million drawing awarded one lucky northwest Ohioan with a $1 million prize for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Jonathan Carlyle, a resident of south Toledo in Lucas County, is the winner of $1 million, announced June 2.
Carlyle was selected in a drawing by the Ohio Lottery and overseen by the Ohio Auditor of State on May 31.
The next winners will be announced June 9 at 7:29 p.m.
3,225,789 Ohioans entered the drawing to win $1 million prize, and 132,903 Ohioans age 12 to 17 entered to the drawing for a college scholarship, according to a release by the State of Ohio.
The number of entries in both groups increased from the previous week with 467,320 additional adult entries and 28,518 additional student entries.
“I am pleased that leading into the holiday weekend, data continued to show that our Ohio Vax-a-Million promotion continued to increase COVID-19 vaccinations compared to the period before the promotion announcement,” said Ohio Governor Mike. “The vaccine remains our most powerful tool to fight the virus and for Ohioans to protect themselves and others. I encourage anyone considering getting the vaccine to not delay and take advantage of both vaccination opportunities and the Ohio Vax-a-Million promotion.”
So what should you do if you're the next winner?
ADVICE FROM A PROFESSIONAL
If you are one of the lucky ones to hear your name called, paying off your debts should be a top priority.
Alan Lancz, president of Alan B. Lancz & Associates investment advisory firm in Toledo, said circumstances vary from person to person. However, paying off student loan and credit card debt can be as good as investing.
"Instead of trying to get 10 or 12 percent in the stock market, what you can do is avoid the situation where you're paying 12 or 15 percent on your credit cards," Lancz said. "So that's an automatic guaranteed return."
Lancz said investing the remaining money into conservative stocks would be wise. If returns and dividends remain consistent, it's easy to net $75,000 a year without touching your money.
He did however warn against putting money in bonds.
"If interest rates continue to trend up, you'll lose money in bonds," he said. "Right now you really want to inflation hedge. You're going to be paying higher at the pump, you're going to pay higher food prices over the next few years, so keep that in mind when you invest."
HOW IT WORKS
Winners are chosen on Mondays and announced on Wednesdays to allow for verification of eligibility. If you didn't register for this week's drawing, you can still register for the remaining three here. Those without Internet access can also enter by phone at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
Winners will be revealed Wednesdays at 7:29 p.m. for five weeks. Multiple alternate winners will be chosen in the event of falsified entries.
Permanent residency is required. The state uses the same criteria it does to issue an Ohio driver's license.
$1 million winners will receive a one-time payment soon after the drawing.
Scholarship winners will still be required to meet admission requirements for the state university they choose to attend.
The funds are taken from Ohio's allotment of CARES Act dollars, which allow states to spend the money to combat the pandemic. Using funds to incentivize vaccinations is covered under the Department of Treasury's guidelines.