A couple that has never travelled outside of Newfoundland now has plenty of reason to do so after they won $2.6 million in a Chase the Ace draw that has captivated the province for nearly a year.
Don and Marg Gorman from Conception Bay, N.L. pulled the ace of spades in the second round of the Wednesday night draw, taking home the massive jackpot.
“I don’t believe it,” Marg told reporters after the card was pulled, triggering balloons to fall from the ceiling.
The Gormans plan to share their winnings with their son William in Labrador and four other couples who were in on the draw with them.
Marg says she expects to retire soon and possibly travel somewhere warm.
“We’ve never left Newfoundland,” Marg said.
It was a dramatic end for the local lottery that’s captured national attention. More than 60,000 people gathered outside St. Kevin’s Parish in the Goulds, a community in southwest St. John’s, and some even camped out overnight Tuesday to secure good spots.
The draw has been held almost every week since last October. Forty-four cards were pulled from the deck before organizers decided that, with school around the corner, it was time to cut the draw short.
Eight cards were left in the deck at the start of the night. It only took two rounds until the Gormans drew the winning card.
The 50/50 draw winner, Marjorie Williams, took home $427,135.
“I think I’m dreaming, it’s amazing,” Williams said, adding that she plans to share her winnings with two children she supports in Uganda.
The total jackpot was $3,042,007 at the start of the night. But a consolation prize of $437,556, awarded in the first round of the draw to a man who pulled the 10 of spades, dropped the grand prize down to $2,604,451.
It was a remarkable grand finale for the draw, which has had its share of hiccups. In July, the fundraiser was temporary halted after it was revealed that duplicate tickets had been sold. The mistake was chalked up to a printing error by provincial authorities, and the draw was back on the following week.
Earlier in August, a medical emergency at the event prompted an ambulance and paramedics to rush to the scene, briefly delaying the draw.
The big crowds also caused traffic headaches for those living within the community. Police officers were routinely added to monitor the event, and new cell blocks had to be installed to maintain phone service in the area.
The atmosphere among attendees remained lighthearted on Wednesday. Every so often, loudspeakers at the event played “If I Had a Million Dollars” by the Barenaked Ladies, and the crowd burst into an impromptu sing-along.
Chase the Ace is a popular fundraiser in Atlantic Canada, and similar big-money draws have turned locals into millionaires. In Dalhousie, N.B. Rino Maltais pulled the ace last September to take home $1.3 million. Last May, Kathy McPherson of Sydney, N.S. won $2.9 million after 12 months’ worth of draws.
