With thousands flocking to downtown Sydney with hopes of becoming a millionaire, some local businesses are cashing in on the Chase the Ace craze.
Retail business owner Bruce Meloney says this time of the year tends to be slow, but not anymore.
“The Saturday's we've been having (are) just incredible,” said Meloney. “They may be just in roaming around and seeing things. We had people come in for the first time ever.”
As the jackpot continues to grow, Chase the Ace organizer Stephen Tobin says Sydney is seeing a wide range of outsiders.
“There (are) busloads of people coming in from Port Hawkesbury, Pictou County, and now we've heard there's a bus coming from P.E.I. and Halifax as well, so people are coming from off island,” said Tobin.
The influx of people has caused restaurants and bars to overflow, forcing owners to add extra staff over the weekend.
“We're accustomed to it in the summer and you're fully staffed up, but we've been bumping up an extra person on each shift on both floors, as well as in the kitchen,” said restaurant owner Arden Mofford.
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have gone as far as having a ticket verifier at their game so fans can watch hockey and still have a chance to win big.
“We will even put you in a car and drive you to the legion for a shot at the one million dollars,” said marketing manager Chris Tournidis.
Despite the recent hiccups the draw has faced, volunteers have been working overtime to prepare the new tickets and to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“We've had some roadblocks and hurdles, but we always seem to overcome that and we will continue do to that,” said Tobin. “We are very excited to be doing this event and nothing that would stop us from doing it again in the future.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
