The Ace of Spades is still hidden in one of the remaining envelopes locked away in a cabinet at Sarnia's Royal Canadian Legion.
The progressive jackpot, for the weekly playing card based lottery, is estimated at $2 million this Thursday.
Branch 62 President Les Jones said the pot has grown beyond his expectations.
"Most of us were hoping to hit the million dollar mark, just to outdo our last [Catch The Ace Lottery], but it's kind of a pleasant surprise, I guess, that it's reached this level," said Jones.
Once again, thousands of people are expected to snake around the Front Street site, lined up to buy a $5 ticket for a chance to win.
Jones said the lottery has become a community event.
"We have different organizations that have been showing up. We had Lambton College last week handing out water, we had a business handing out bagel bites, we have buskers, a lot of people offering to volunteer from other organizations -- because I think they realize how exhausting it is for our volunteers," he said.
Jones said they've done their best to keep the line moving, but patience is needed.
"I have seen a lot of people knitting, crocheting, a lot of people reading, a lot of people just socializing, listening to our buskers. I think last week there was five different musicians. Everybody seems to be happy and entertained, even on days that it rains, people seem to be in good spirits," Jones said.
He's even heard from people who've made a day trip out of the event.
"I've talked to people from the Windsor area," Jones said. "Last week, I talked to some people from the Tecumseh legion and I've talked to people from London as well. Of course, I see all kinds of other legion members supporting us from legions within our county as well."
Jones said area legion members have also shadowed them as they run the event, to learn how the logistics are handled.
The Sarnia branch keeps half of weekly ticket sales and while a major portion is donated back to the community -- through different charitable organizations within Lambton County -- some of the money will be used to resurface the legion's parking lot and pay for a new roof.
In addition to attracting attention from ticket buyers, Jones said the lottery also raised some eyebrows at Square -- a company that operates contactless payments.
"Square did call us and wanted to know, 'Hey, what's going on in Sarnia? You're showing up on our radar here. What's happening at the legion in Sarnia?' The number of transactions that we made obviously piqued their interest. So, a huge part of Ontario is watching to see what's going on. So, it's kind of nice," Jones said.
Ticket sales start at noon and end at the 7:30 p.m. cutoff required by the legion’s provincial lottery licence.
Shuttle buses run between Christina Street and the Centennial Park parking lots from 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Free parking is also available in nearby city/county lots after 4:30 p.m.
