Chase the Ace in Inverness, by the numbers

The community of Inverness in Cape Breton is about to be inundated, once again, with thousands of millionaire hopefuls chasing the elusive ace of spades.

CBC News will be live streaming the event, starting on Saturday at 6 p.m. AT. Head to cbc.ca/ns to catch the action.

In the meantime, here are some of the numbers you should know:

• $1,236,846.66 — Current size of jackpot.
• 50 — Percentage of this week's ticket sales that will go to the organizations responsible for the fundraiser.
• 30 — Percentage of this week's ticket sales that will be added to the jackpot.
• 20 — Percentage of this week's ticket sales that will go to the first winning ticket holder, if he or she does not choose the ace of spades.
• $25,000 — Amount of money each subsequent winning ticket holder will get until the ace is drawn.
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Time you can buy tickets on Saturday.
• 6 p.m. — Time of first raffle ticket draw on Saturday.
• 864,000 — Number of tickets organizers are expecting to sell this week.
• $5 — Price for a strip of three tickets.
• 47 — Number of weeks the ace of spades has been unclaimed in Inverness.
• 13,000 to 15,000 — Number of people who descended on Inverness last week.
• 17,000 to 18,000 — Number of people organizers are expecting this week.
• 20 — Number of additional police officers to be brought in from around Nova Scotia.
• 5 — Number of cards left in the deck.
• 1 in 4.3 million — Probability that the first winning ticket holder will also draw the ace of spades.

Although there are still five cards left in the deck, Saturday's draw will be the last because Inverness can no longer accommodate the crowds. If the ace is not chosen by the first winning ticket holder, the organizers will keep drawing tickets until someone chooses the ace.

"We know that someone is going to go home a millionaire," organizer Cameron MacQuarrie said.

MacQuarrie said the arena quickly reached capacity last week and organizers couldn't let anyone else in.

"It caused a lot of confusion because people were coming and going and we really didn't have a good identifying condition to say, 'You were in before, and you're allowed back in now,'" he said.

This Saturday, organizers will hand out wrist bands on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached at the arena. Anyone who has a band will be able to secure a spot inside.

What you need to know 

• Dress appropriately. Ticket buyers will have to stand in line outside.
• Arrive early. Ticket booths at three locations — the Broad Cove concert site, the Inverness arena and the Inverness legion — will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• Bring cash. Tickets must be purchased in cash and local ATMs have run out of cash in previous weeks.
• Only park in designated spaces including the Inverness Education Centre, Broad Cove and the Inverness Raceway. Police will tow cars parked illegally.