Chase the Ace fever in Inuvik has town, Legion considering changes to regulations

Fridays at the Royal Canadian Legion in Inuvik, N.W.T., have been buzzing more than normal — thanks to the chance to win a Chase the Ace raffle that's been sitting at its maximum jackpot of $30,000 for nearly two months.

In fact, the fundraiser has been so successful, officials at the Legion and the Town of Inuvik are considering changes to how future draws are done in the community.

"We are down to six cards as of this Friday, and nobody has pulled the ace of spades as of yet," said Don Craik, president of the legion's McInnes Branch 220 in Inuvik.

Chase the Ace gives people a chance to pay for a ticket, and each week, a winning ticket is selected and they have a chance to pull a card. This continues every week until the Ace of Spades is pulled. 

Although $30,000 is the limit for lottery jackpots before having to get special approval under the town's lottery bylaw, the legion isn't obligated to set a limit since they are not required to have a lottery licence.

Their draw is a private 50-50 draw, only open to Legion members and guests, and not the general public, exempting them from the town's limits.

But Craik says they cap their jackpots at $30,000 anyway, "out of respect for the lottery bylaws and the fact that other fundraisers like bingos are capped at $30,000." 

Craik said any excess amount raised goes over to the next pot — which has already hit the $30,000 amount — leaving the Legion considering increasing their maximum jackpot for the very first time.

Started in 2012

Chase the Ace first started in Inuvik in 2012 after the legion's dart team competed in Drayton Valley, Alta., and got the idea from there.

Nova Scotia later became a Chase the Ace hotbed when prizes rose above $200,000 in the town of Noel, N.S., which had borrowed the fundraising idea from Inuvik.

Each week, 50 per cent of proceeds go toward the legion and the other 50 per cent goes to the existing — or, after the limit is reached — the next pot.

At the moment, the Legion is the only group that has held Chase the Ace fundraisers in Inuvik, leaving town officials without having to regulate the fundraiser under their lotteries bylaw.

Town looking to regulate for 'consumer protection'

However, the success of the current raffle has stirred up conversations about what would be done if a group applied for a lottery licence to run their own Chase the Ace fundraiser.

Senior Administrative Officer Grant Hood said the lottery committee had a meeting Tuesday night, where possible bylaw changes were brought up and they plan to do an "intense review of our bylaw that we have, of our regulations."

"We are looking at the bylaw covering Chase the Ace and regulating it … for consumer protection, more than anything else," said Hood.

Hood said the changes may encourage other organizations to run their own Chase the Ace.

Hood said that the N.W.T. communities Fort Smith and Hay River have special regulations solely for Chase the Ace, and the town of Inuvik is looking at the communities as influence for possible new regulations.

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Hood said that the town's current bylaw states if organizations want a lottery licence for a jackpot greater than $30,000, "you can apply to town council for permission."

But he says that he believes the last time town council received such a request was in 2008.

The earliest any new lottery regulations would be set is by early June, said Hood.

Craik said if the town come up with a bylaw for Chase the Ace, the Legion will then make a decision whether or not to review the way they are currently operating.