Newfoundland’s $1.7-million Chase the Ace draw will live another week after the winning ticket holder failed to pull the elusive ace of spades.

Hundreds of hopefuls turned up in the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John’s for the Wednesday draw organized by a local parish.

Only 10 cards were left in the deck, which has been whittled down in weekly draws since last October.

But Jason Wood, the man with the winning ticket, pulled an ace of diamonds, not the winning ace of spades. He won’t win the $1,765,783 jackpot, but will instead take home a smaller prize around $200,000.

Speaking to reporters moments after the draw, Wood said the money would mean “a better life” for his family.

“I told my little fella tonight that if I win I’m gonna buy him a four-wheeler,” Wood said.

Wood said he played the lottery twice before and planned to try again next Wednesday.

It was a tumultuous draw for the draw. Rainy conditions meant that ticket holders waiting outside St. Kevin’s Parish Hall were waterlogged by the end of the night.

Just before the draw, a medical emergency at the hall prompted an ambulance and paramedics to rush to the scene.

The popular local lottery was briefly put on hold earlier this summer after reports that duplicate tickets were being sold. Service NL, which regulates lotteries in the province, reviewed the case and determined that there was “no intentional wrongdoing or fraudulent activity” on behalf of Chase the Ace organizers.

How the game works

The rules of Chase the Ace are simple. Participants buy tickets to be entered into a weekly draw. A single ticket is drawn each week, and the winner instantly gets 20 per cent of the pool. Fifty per cent of the funds go back to the parish, while the remaining 30 per cent is squirreled away into a growing jackpot.

On top of the initial winnings, the ticket holder gets the chance to pull one card from a standard 52-deck. If the ace of spades is drawn, they win the total jackpot.

If the card isn’t drawn, the shrinking deck is set aside for the next week -- thereby narrowing the odds.

With files from NTV and The Canadian Press