INVERNESS, N.S. — A small town in Cape Breton is bracing for the arrival of thousands of money-hungry visitors Saturday as the wildly popular Chase the Ace fundraising game draws to a close with a $1-million jackpot on the line.
Last Saturday, an estimated 20,000 people and 4,000 vehicles descended on Inverness, a town that is home to about 1,300 people, the RCMP say. About 25,000 are expected this weekend.
The popularity of the weekly draw, which started almost a year ago, grew exponentially after the jackpot exceeded $30,000 and kept growing, says Jim Mustard, the municipal councillor for the rural area.
"The buzz is on now," he said in an interview.
"It feeds in to some Maritime qualities: people love to get together, and they don't mind having a drink and some conversation — and then to gamble and win in that moment. It's something that is feeding people's imaginations right now."
Mustard says the large crowds helped create a carnival-like atmosphere every weekend through the summer months, which has set the stage for a final must-attend kitchen party.
At first, the draws were held at the local Royal Canadian Legion, which has organized the event for the past two years.
In recent weeks, the draws have been moved to the local arena, where tables and chairs have been set up to let people gather, talk, play cards and have a good time.
Chase the Ace is similar to a 50-50 draw with $5 tickets, but there's a twist. Instead of giving half the ticket sales to the winner, they get 20 per cent. Another 30 per cent is added to a growing pot that can be won if the ticket holder draws the ace of spades from a deck of cards.
If the ace isn't drawn, the jackpot grows and another draw is held the following week with the same deck of cards.
The Chase the Ace game in Inverness started last October. As of last weekend, there were five cards left.
However, organizers have decided to end the draws this weekend — tickets will be drawn until there is a big winner — because of concerns among police and emergency officials about increasingly crowded streets and so much money changing hands.
"There's a big police presence now," says Mustard. "When you've got a million dollars in cash floating around, that's an issue. And people are celebrating, and that's an issue ... You don't want this to go sideways at any point."
An RCMP command post has been established, special emergency access lanes designated and a police helicopter will be back in the air again this weekend, says RCMP Insp. Barry Pitcher, commanding officer for the area.
Public safety is the top concern during the event, he said, which is why 20 extra officers have been called in, some of them armed with semi-automatic C8 assault rifles.
"Carbine use now ... is becoming more commonplace," Pitcher says."It's another tool in our belt ... It's not specific to Chase the Ace."
The big jackpot has attracted national attention, but Pitcher says police are also concerned about the large number of people carrying cash, creating a "victim-rich environment."
Still, Pitcher said there were few problems last weekend.
"They're a pretty happy bunch," he says, adding that police charged one impaired driver and recorded three liquor offences. "Considering the amount of people, that's fantastic."
The local Legion plans to split the proceeds with the Inverness Cottage Workshop, which provides skills training for adults with intellectual disabilities. The workshop plans to use the money to build a new centre.
During last Saturday's draw, Carol Hartling of Westville, N.S., won $235,000 after her raffle ticket was drawn, but she failed to draw the ace. That pushed the jackpot to $1,236,846 based on $1,175,663 in ticket sales.
