The Barclays Center will reward its employees with up to $25,000 in prizes if they decide to get vaccinated.
John Abbamondi, CEO of the Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets, said Monday that vaccinated employees at Barclays will receive one entry in a raffle for each shift they work or are “available” to work between Sept. 13, when the city’s vaccination mandate for facilities such as sports arenas takes effect, and Dec. 31. A grand prize winner, who can be either a new or existing employee, will be selected on New Year’s Eve.
While all employees and customers at Barclays will be required to show proof of at least one vaccine dose starting Sept. 13, the sweepstakes is intended to incentivize getting the jab proactively, Abbamondi said.
“We encourage all of our employees to get vaccinated, we encourage others who are vaccinated to apply,” Abbamondi said at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daily press briefing Monday morning. “We hope to keep you all safe, and we know the vaccines are key to doing that.”
“That’s a damn good prize, let me tell you,” Hizzoner said in response.
The organization will also be giving out smaller prizes each week as the basketball and concert season goes on, including JetBlue airline vouchers, smartwatches, and free theme park passes.
