$250,000 winner in state vaccine lottery collects his check

EVERETT — A Washington man has claimed the first of four $250,000 prizes from the state’s vaccine lottery.

After having his name selected in Tuesday’s weekly drawing, Lance R. walked into a Washington’s Lottery office on Thursday and left with a check for a quarter of a million dollars, lottery spokesperson Dan Miller said. His last name and place of residence were not disclosed Thursday.

“I got lucky,” Lance said in a statement. “Mainly, I was lucky that I didn’t get hit with COVID before the vaccines were developed and available. Millions around the world haven’t had such good luck.”

Winning the lottery was icing on the cake, he said. “Totally unexpected.”

Nearly 300 other Washingtonians had their phone numbers called after Tuesday’s drawing. Calls to winners started on Wednesday, lottery officials said.

So check your voicemail. You could be a winner of sports tickets, an Xbox console, Alaska Airlines flights or more.

Selected Washingtonians have 72 hours to claim prizes.

Drawings will take place every Tuesday, with three more cash prizes of $250,000 and one for $1 million.

Anyone who received at least one shot in the state and can provide proof of residence is automatically entered to win.

If you’re unsure about your immunization record, call the state’s hotline at 833-829-4357.