MORGANTOWN — Gov. Jim Justice’s Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life vaccination sweepstakes offers vaccinated individuals a weekly chance to win $1 million, trucks, guns, vacations and other prizes. Several residents of Monongalia and Preston counties have won in the first two drawings, including Sharon Turner, who won the $1 million in the second drawing.
On Friday, The Dominion Post asked people shopping in Morgantown what they thought of the lottery and what they would do if they won.
Some thought it was a waste of money. Others thought it was a good idea. But either way, the lottery didn’t influence anyone The Dominion Post spoke with to get the vaccine.
“I was vaccinated long before the lottery,” Dan Sowers said.
The 56-year-old said he drove to Morgantown from Shinnston for his vaccine shots. He thinks the lottery is a good idea — anything that motivates someone to save themselves or someone else is worth doing.
“If I win anything at all, I’ll be happy with it. I won already, I got the vaccine and if I get sick I’m not gonna die,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing for me.”
BJ Kelley, 72, of Morgantown, is vaccinated but did not enroll in Do it for Babydog. She said she thinks the lottery is a waste of money, and she would rather see it go to “roads and jobs.”
In total, a bit over $8 million in cash will be given away during the seven drawings, which includes $1,588,000 instead of $1M for the final drawing and a $588,000 runner-up prize in the last drawing. That doesn’t include the price tag for the custom trucks and guns, free stays at a state park, and other prizes.
Fairmont resident 65-year-old Joe Kisner is not vaccinated and does not like the lottery.
“He’s got money to throw away on stupid stuff because of his dog,” he said. Instead, the money should go to other things, such as “the highways to begin with.”
Toni DeWitt, 51, of Morgantown, said she thinks the lottery is a good idea, but it wasn’t the reason she got vaccinated. She also thinks more outreach is needed, especially to vulnerable populations.
“I think the population it’s not helping, it’s gonna take a lot more outreach,” she said. “Like that are on the edges of society, drug addicts, homeless people, elderly people that aren’t really paying attention.”
There was only one answer on people’s mind about what they would do with the million bucks if they won and DeWitt put it best, “just pay bills like everybody else.”
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