Inverness Chase the Ace cell service gets boost from Bell Aliant tower
People waiting hours to 'Chase the Ace' will be able to use cellphones this week, thanks to temporary tower
The Chase the Ace phenomenon in the village of Inverness has meant excitement, booming business and a huge strain on community resources, including cellular service.
As thousands have descended on Inverness over 45 successive Saturdays to play the game, cell providers have struggled to meet the increased demand.
Bell Mobility took action Thursday to make sure its customers are able to communicate, sources confirmed to CBC News.
It's erecting a temporary cell tower in Inverness, strictly to cope with the anticipated overload on Saturday. The jackpot for this weekend's draw could reach a million dollars. It will be $601,837.48 plus 30 per cent of the ticket sales for the day.
"At first we had a handful, maybe 10, 12 people that were doing the heavy lifting," said Cameron MacQuarrie, Inverness Legion's vice president.
"But now we are up to 75, maybe even 100 people when you take everything into consideration. It's really important to have the ground swell of support."
Chase the Ace is something like a 50-50 draw, but instead of winning half the value of the ticket sales, the winning ticket holder receives a smaller cut of the take and a chance to draw the ace of spades from a deck of regular playing cards to win the big prize.
Cindy O'Neil works with the Inverness Cottage Workshop for people with disabilities where many are volunteering to prepare Chase the Ace ticket stubs.
"We operate a bakery, a used clothing store and lately, we do a lot of tickets!" she said. "We're preparing 60,000 packs of tickets. It's a lot of tickets, a lot of money and a lot of volunteer hours."
Last Saturday, people lined up for hours for a chance to buy a ticket. Some arrived hours early to ensure they had a chance to play.
The fundraiser has turned into a huge boost for the entire community, with food and gas sales soaring to help support the hundreds who go to the town every Saturday to play.
This coming Saturday, organizers say gates will open at 12 p.m. and close at 5 p.m.