Sudbury Kinsmen looking for boost for home lottery, 50/50

Kinsmen look to boost home lottery sales The Kinsmen Club of Sudbury is hoping for a boost in ticket sales ahead of the closing weekend of it Showcase Home Lottery and 50/50 draw.

The Kinsmen Club of Sudbury is hoping for a little boost in ticket sales ahead of the closing weekend for its 38th annual showcase home lottery and 50/50 draw.

Up for grabs is a 3,665-square-foot home on Hazelton Drive in the Minnow Lake area of Greater Sudbury valued at $850,000. And if the winner doesn't want the house, there is a $650,000 cash option along with the bonus package that includes $47,000 in prizes.

"You can take the cash, take the home, if you choose to sell the home, there is no tax on that at all because it is a lottery, so in Ontario, your winnings are non-taxable," Mary Jane Drury, the showcase coordinator, told CTV News in an interview.

Next Tuesday is the grand prize draw, but the deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday at midnight and there are still about 4,000 tickets remaining of the 19,500 available.

Robert LeBlanc, the chairman of the house committee, told CTV News in an interview that ticket sales are somewhat slow this year.

"We count on the community to help us sell tickets to raise funds so that we can give back to the community. The Kinsmen do not keep any of the money, it all goes to the 12 recipient charities that we have," LeBlanc said.

Drury said the recipient charities use the money received to help support thousands of Sudburians.

In addition to the grand prize, there are also 68 other prizes to be won, as well.

It is the second time the service group is also doing a 50/50 draw along with the home lottery and as of Wednesday morning, the prize is worth about $65,000. Tickets for the 50/50 are separate from the house draw.

"It should go up, by Sunday at midnight, that will climb," Drury said.

NEW THIS YEAR

There have been a few changes to this year's fundraiser, which previously has been held in the fall.

"We've switched to the spring for various reasons," LeBlanc said.

Drury said it is hard to get the word out about the move to the spring and it may take a few years for people to catch on.

Another change this year is the tickets and draws are being done electronically instead of the old-fashioned drum.

An early bird draw took place Tuesday night and LeBlanc said it went well.

"Actually, it was our first time doing it electronically, because the computer randomly generated the winners and everything went 100 per cent accurate without any problems. The draw happened quick. We were able to contact all the winners," he said.

Online ticket sales have been phenomenal for those people who can't make it out, want a quick purchase or can't make it when the showcase home is open for viewing, Drury said.

The showcase home is open daily for viewing and will be open until midnight Sunday leading up to the deadline.

The grand prize draw is taking place June 27 at 7 p.m. at 89 Hazelton Drive off Bancroft Drive.