Chase the Ace lottery in Inverness draws huge crowds

What started as a local fundraiser in the village of Inverness, Cape Breton, has become nothing less than a phenomenon, as thousands converge every Saturday for a chance to win the big prize.

In recent weeks, the jackpot has climbed by tens of thousands of dollars, without a winner.

Organizers expect that afterSaturday's sales, the jackpot will climb to between $350,000and $400,000.

In anticipation of even greater crowds this week, organizers with the village's Royal Canadian Legion branchhave taken steps to streamline ticket sales and better co-ordinate traffic.

SpokesmanCharlie MacQuarriesaid parking will be restricted."We will have extra tables available to sell tickets. Also, we've extended our ticket selling time to three hours, starting at 2 p.m. and running to 5 p.m.," he said.

Chase the Ace is something like a 50-50 draw, but instead of winning half the value of the ticket sales, the winning ticket holder receivesa smaller cut of the takeand a chance to draw the ace of spades from a deck of regular playing cards to win the big prize.

Deck down to 9 cards

There are some restrictions: tickets can be purchased at only two locations in Inverness, only on the day of the draw, and the winner must be present to claim the prize. They must be 19 or older.

When the deck of cards got down to 11, the crowds in Inverness on Saturdaysstarted building. By last week, the villagewas at a virtual standstill.

There are now only nine cards left.

In addition to extending ticket sales by an hour, the community also plans to provide extra parking at Inverness Academy and at the local racetrack.

The money raised is intended for the Inverness Cottage Workshop, a place for adults with developmental disabilities. The workshop wants to take over, renovate and expand a building in Inverness.

That will happen much sooner than anyone expected, courtesy of Chase of Ace.