Half-cracked? 'Whole cracked': Goulds goes ga-ga as elusive ace remains uncaught

The deck is dwindling, but the jackpot — and the crowds — are growing.

The Chase the Ace grand prize of $477,700 went unclaimed Wednesday, after people streamed by the hundreds into Goulds for a shot at the jackpot. The lottery is a fundraiser for St. Kevin's Parish.

Winning ticket holder Wanda Lawrence drew the jack of diamonds and had to content herself with the consolation prize of $46,983.

"I'm going to share it with my kids, my babies," said an ecstatic Lawrence after the draw.

Wednesday evening's rain didn't deter the hopefuls lining up, who were clear on what they were there for.

"Money. Bottom line," said Wayne Humber, who has been buying tickets for the last several weeks. When a ticket buyer in the next line joked they were all half-cracked, Humber corrected him: "Whole cracked."

Asked what he'd do with the money, Humber only laughed.

"I'd have a ball," he said.

Rosalie Sinnott's sister-in-law won $31,000 on the 50/50 draw a few weeks back. Sinnott said she enjoys the upbeat spirit of the event, and the anticipation of the draw. This week, she bought close to 100 tickets and planned to take a trip with any winnings.

"It goes really quiet, and I must say, everyone claps for the winner," she said. "So it's a really nice atmosphere."

This week, Graham Poole won just over $60,000 on the 50/50 draw.

"I don't know what to do yet," he said. "Have a good time, have a good trip."

Any plans for that money will have to wait at least another week, though, with the ace of spades still in the deck.