This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Update: Winner of first $1 million prize in Thursday’s Illinois vaccine lottery is from Chicago

CHICAGO — Illinois’ first COVID-19 vaccine lottery drawing will happen Thursday afternoon.

Residents are automatically entered if they’ve had at least one vaccine dose. Anyone who got their first dose by July 1 is eligible for Thursday’s drawing.

There will be four drawings Thursday — a $1 million prize and three $150,000 scholarships for students.

The Illinois Department of Public Health will reach out to winners via phone and email. They will not ask for any personal information.

Thursday’s drawing will be the first of nine weekly drawings being held throughout the summer.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced the lottery last month. The goal is to encourage more people to get the vaccination.

Winners will be notified by the Illinois Department of Public Health by phone and email. The Illinois Lottery will help the state conduct the drawings. Winners can choose to remain anonymous.

Illinois starting $10M lottery for vaccinated residents by WGN Web Desk on Scribd