Australia’s Million Dollar promotional lottery “Million Dollar Vax” launches to reward vaccinated individuals and reduce the community impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launched this week in Australia, the Million Dollar Vax campaign, established by the “Million Dollar Vax Alliance” and promoted by Summer Foundation, aims to increase vaccination rates with benefits for the whole community, including protecting those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, healthcare and the aged care workforce, small and large businesses and those in lower socio-economic circumstances and vulnerable communities.


Author: Daniel Lovecek, Principal


In the next few months, as Australia strives to reach vaccination targets in order to relax intrastate and interstate restrictions, those most at risk will be people living in locations, including regional areas, with low vaccination rates, older Australians and people with disabilities. Million Dollar Vax has been launched to reward those that have been or who get vaccinated during October 2021.

In Australia, the states of New South Wales and Victoria have endured extensive lockdown periods. Victoria is currently in the sixth period of lockdown and this weekend its capital city, Melbourne, will mark a total of 250 days of lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic. Melbourne joins Buenos Aires, Dublin, London and Prague who are also fellow members of the “200 Club” for days under stay-at-home orders. Melbourne has now overtaken Buenos Aires (245 days) to become the city with the highest number of days in lockdown in the world. It’s fair to say Australians are jaded, students want to get back to school and businesses want and need to safely reopen.

According to estimates by KPMG, every extra day of lockdown costs more than A$370 million per day in Victoria and NSW alone. Every additional day in lockdown is also creating further loss of livelihood and jobs, including small business closures and, of course, has significant physical and mental health impacts. International experience suggests that achieving a vaccination rate of > 90 per cent of the adult population will be the fastest path for us all to return to a more normal life, minimising the potential for further business interruption, bringing an end to lockdowns and removing further domestic or international border closures.

The Million Dollar Vax campaign is similar to campaigns rolled out internationally, including in the US and Europe. The total prize value for the Promotional lottery is AUD$4,100,000. Entry is available to all Australians residents (18yrs or older) who have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination by the end of the Promotion Period, which will extend throughout October 2021. In order to receive a prize, draw winners will need to be double vaccinated on or before 13 December 2021.

In the US and Europe, vaccination lotteries have largely been the initiative of and funded by governments. Some campaigns have involved a collaboration of government and corporations such as in New York, which was a joint initiative between corporates Kroger and CVS Health in collaboration with the Biden administration.

The Million Dollar Vax campaign in Australia has been created by the Million Dollar Vax Alliance – a group of Australian philanthropists and corporations. The Million Dollar Vax campaign has been set up as a national trade promotion lottery. A trade promotion lottery involves activities or events where prizes are given away through any means that include an element of chance at any stage. Entry must be free or involve only a minimal charge. Unlike other international jurisdictions, in Australia, trade promotion lotteries are regulated on a State and Territory basis and requirements in each jurisdiction vary. The Million Dollar Vax initiative was complex and required considerable engagement with State and Territory regulators in order to be able to launch a national COVID-19 vaccination lottery

 


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