Seminole Tribe of Florida Strongly Denies Impropriety in $3M Vaccine Lottery

On Oct 5, 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida held a vaccine lottery. The lot awarded at least $3 1000000 in federal COVID ease money inwards prizes as an incentive for tribal members to receive the shot.

But some critics within the tribe hold questioned whether the money was misused, and claim that that many eligible, vaccinated members were not entered and received zippo from the fund.

They get also criticized what they perceive as a mirky anonymity around who at last claimed the prizes, watchdog news situation Florida Bulldog reports.

Shot of a Lifetime

As a crowned head nation, the tribe is comfortably within its rights to throw such a lottery, as many states chose to fare during the pandemic, although their efficacy as an motivator is open to debate.

The US Treasury obligations allowed tribal governments to employment COVID relievo cash in hand for financial incentives for vaccination. But that’s provided “such costs are pretty proportional to the expected public wellness benefit.”

Some Seminoles fence they weren’t. The affair has sparked detrition among the tribe, which is 1 of the wealthiest Native American gaming operators in the US and owns the Hard Rock gambling casino brand.

The controversial lottery was 1 of several issues mentioned in a reminiscence petition that aimed, and failed, to tip officeholder Tribal Council Chairman Marcellus Osceola in conclusion month.

The petition was signed by 285 members, to a higher place the necessary quota of 20% of voters who backed Osceola at his 2019 reelection. It was authored past tribal fellow member Laura Billie, who called the employ of the finances “improper.”

Incendiary Claim

She also makes the instigative – and, according to Osceola, false – title that “tribal members also have knowledge that the Chairman’s illicit son, who is a minor, was the [first prize] million-dollar winner.”

In a Tribal Council coming together lastly month, Osceola denied any impropriety and emphasized that the conclusion to sustain the lottery had been taken by the total tribal council, non just himself. That’s in a transcript seen by the Bulldog.

Of the latter allegation, he said: “[…the] off-key claim of a million-dollar victor existence my outlaw(a) son, you know, that has repercussions, those allegations, because, you know, again, traducement of character, slander. People receive sued for a lot less.”

All in Vein?

Research published by the University of Denver, admittedly a week after the Seminoles held their draw, suggested that vaccinum lotteries don’t really work.

Looking at 19 states that employed the tactic, researchers calculated the figure of shots administered per 1,000 people, both before and after the lotteries were introduced.

Then they compared the figures to those states with no more vaccine lotteries. Adjusting for a change of factors, such as a region’s wealth, population, the list of COVID-19 cases, and political leanings, they found “no statistically significant” difference to vaccination uptake between states with and without vaccinum lotteries.

Researchers speculated that the lack of a guaranteed outcome inwards a lottery pull might flush it to propel people and suggested unmediated payments would live to a greater extent effective. They also wondered whether the monetary resource mightiness live amend spent on programs that educated people near vaccination and countered misinformation.

Anonymity Crucial for Health Reasons

This was a route taken by many other tribal governments that opted to spreadhead payments more thinly, rewarding all vaccinated members, not just now a lucky few. It’s a maneuver that Billie supports.

“The path i assure this is the COVID cash in hand are to do good the people … In this instance they used the money for a drawing and a lot of the people did non do good from that lottery, to a greater extent than 80%,” she told the Bulldog.

In a statement, the Seminole Tribal Council said: “It was documented that many Native Americans were vaccine-hesitant, and unvaccinated Seminoles of all ages were getting sick and dying.

Winners were chosen at random via computer-selected names of all vaccinated members.  To ensure a reasonable outcome, ace non-Tribe stave member from the Tribe’s Health, IT and Police Departments were the only individuals submit at the clip of the drawing.

“The selected names were non made public due to secrecy requirements for all wellness records. […] It is unacceptable to experience how many lives were saved. Any proffer of impropriety in any facet of the computer programme is perfectly non true.”

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