"Controversy Surrounds West Virginia's COVID Vaccine Lottery"

West Virginia's vaccine lottery, which offered more than $20 million in prizes to encourage vaccinations, is under scrutiny over the cost of prizes and tax issues. Federal investigators have subpoenaed Gov. Jim Justice's office about the sweepstakes, focusing on car dealers that supplied trucks given to lottery winners and questions about how much they cost taxpayers. The lottery has also triggered a political battle, with critics saying it was hastily executed and rushed taxpayer money out the door to private businesses. A study released in 2021 showed state-led vaccine lotteries did nothing to sway unvaccinated individuals to get inoculated against COVID.