Where could it be? ‘Catch the Ace’ jackpot grows in Hagersville as elusive ace yet to be found

There have been 44 draws so far in the Hagersville ‘Catch the Ace’ progressive lottery jackpot as the ace of spades has continued to elude capture.

If the evasive card is picked in Thursday night’s draw, they winner will take home an estimated $1.75 million.

Earlier this month, the jackpot passed the $1 million mark and has only gone up since.

‘Catch the Ace’ is a progressive raffle where players purchase tickets to guess which envelope contains the ace of spades. Until it’s found, money keeps going into the pot.

Thursday is the 45th draw in the progressive jackpot lottery.

Crowds gather in Hagersville as tickets go on sale for the 'Catch the Ace' draw. (Terry kelly/CTV News Kitchener)

Organizers estimated they would be selling around 140,000 tickets for Thursday’s draw. This is up from the estimated 132,000 tickets sold last week.

If the person whose name is drawn does not find the ace they are still entitled to 20 per cent of the funds raised - which is currently estimated to be at least $170,000.

Last week’s winner was Glenda Vibar, who opened envelope number 50 to reveal the king of diamonds, leading to her taking home $133,208.

Tickets can only be purchased in-person on Thursdays at the Hagersville legion, so the community has seen long lineups and measures have been implemented to ensure community safety. Last week the Lions club designated a line-up route for ticket purchases to stand in.

Tickets are $10 each or three for $20 and are sold only on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Of the funds raised, 50 per cent go to charity, 30 per cent of the funds go into the progressive jackpot that grows each week until the Ace of spades is revealed, while 20 per cent goes to the weekly winner.

HOW TO WATCH THE DRAW

The draw is held at 8 p.m.

The draw can be watched by clicking the link below:

ORGANIZERS WARN OF FAKE TICKETS BEING SOLD

Last week, the Hagersville Lions Club issued a public warning about fake tickets being sold in the community.

As anticipation grows, officials are also on the lookout for fraudsters trying to sell fake tickets to the public.

“A lady had reached out to me through Facebook, asking if the tickets she bought at the local grocery store parking lot were legit or not,” Hagersville Lions Club committee vice-chair Tanya Ribbink said. “She bought 20 dollars worth of tickets. She did say there was a lineup of people that were buying tickets.”