Chase the Ace craze brought to Nova Scotia nearly 3 years ago by Noel man

Now that crowds have thinned in the small community of Inverness, N.S.,and the hype of Chase the Ace has officially reached its peak, it's time to remember where the fundraising phenomenon began.

On Saturday, DoneldaMacAskillwon the $1.77-million jackpot in a charity draw that has captured the attention of people aroundthe world. The massive jackpot in the tiny town grewas, week after week,winners failed to draw the elusive ace of spades from the 52-card deck.

With just three cards left, MacAskill, a puffin boat tour operator with a husband battling cancer and three grown children,drew that ace on Saturday, becoming an instant millionaire.

Thatchance to become a millionaire in the small out-of-the-way Cape Breton community became a destination for Maritimerswith their eye on the prize.

Rewind to the fall of 2012.

Eric White of Noel, N.S.,was talking with friends about raising money for his local baseball association, when the ace of spades entered the conversation.

"My neighbour brought the idea to me about this Chase the Ace that was going on out in Inuvik[N.W.T.]at the legion out there. Their two daughters were out there and they were attending it every Friday night," said White.

"We thought we would try one out here at the Noel legion, our Hants North Baseball Association, and so we made an application to the province for a licence."

Big win in Nova Scotia's Chase the Ace

9 years ago

Duration 2:55

CBC's Stephanie vanKampen reports from Inverness, N.S., where winner of more than $1.7M jackpot was announced

Excitement builds for weeks on end

Once those details were approved, the Hants Countycommunity hosted Nova Scotia's first-ever Chase the Ace draw on Jan.4, 2013.

"That night, 20 per cent was $75," said White. "It went on for weeks and weeks, and on Oct.4, 2013,we had 13 cards left and the ace of spades was cut that evening."

The winner took home more than $228,000. Although the jackpot didn't climb to the level of Inverness, it did catch the attention of other small communities.

"I've received a lot of calls in the last three years about the Chase the Ace and how you start it. Actually, I sent an email off to Dawson Creek, B.C., with the house rules of Chase the Ace. Somebody was looking to get one going," he said.

"I think it's terrific. It's an easy way to raise funds. There's no cost in it. I mean you buy a deck of cards and you get tickets that gets it going."

White even made the trip to Inverness for the final draw.

"To see that amount of people between the rink and the legion and the streets in between, I mean it's simply amazing," 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 receives a smaller cut of the take and a chance to draw the ace of spades from a deck of regular playing cards to win the jackpot.

Every Saturday, half of the money raised goes to the organization behind the draw, 20 per cent to the weekly winner and 30 per cent funnelled into the big prize. The jackpot builds until someone does draw the ace of spades.

The darker side

While Chase the Ace does bring people together and pump thousands of dollars into the local economy, White admits there can be a darker side.

He has witnessed problem gamblers lining up to buy tickets.

"That is a concern, and was a concern. We did have some brief discussions about it," said White. "I mean you can't discriminate against somebody but you know it's gonna happen, and you don't want to see these things happen but you can't control that from not happening."

Dr. Will Shead, professor of psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University, shares that concern.

"When peoplewho don't have much moneydrive all the way to a small town, truly believing it will solve their financesit's problematic," he said.

Shead's primary area of research is gambling. The professor isn't a fan of charity lotteries; however, he says it is low-risk gambling compared to VLTs.