Instead of playing the hand she was dealt, a Nova Scotia woman says she is taking her nephew to court.

Barb Reddick and Tyrone MacInnis were $1.2-million winners at the Chase the Ace in Margaree Forks, N.S., on Wednesday night.

However, Reddick says she plans to sue her nephew for cashing in on half of the Chase the Ace winnings, sparking a family feud and creating a buzz on social media.

There was no sign anything was wrong Thursday morning as Reddick and her nephew posed for pictures with a cheque for more than $1.2 million.

With a prize of $1,222,639.00, Reddick and MacInnis were each given a cheque for $611,319.50.

But as organizers handed them separate cheques, splitting the prize in half, that's when the feud erupted.

“I'm taking him to court,” Reddick said. “I'm getting my lawyer tomorrow.”

Reddick says she put her nephew's name on the ticket for good luck and claims she agreed to split the money if they won the consolation prize -- but not the jackpot.

“I put his name on the ticket for good luck.” When asked why she did that, Reddick responded: “Because he’s like a son to me … he was.

“Yeah he was lucky, but not for half a million dollars,” Reddick said.

When asked if she thought his nephew deserved the money, she said: “No, I don't think so.”

Even organizers seemed stunned as they watched the dispute unfold. 

“I can't really explain it. I didn't really expect anything like that to happen. I just came to deliver the cheques to the winners. I wanted to be here,” said Bernice Curley, the Chase the Ace Chair.

Before the cheque presentation, the MacInnis family told CTV Atlantic that Tyrone made the drive to Margaree to buy tickets on Monday.

Organizers say the ticket that was selected Wednesday evening contained the names of both Reddick and MacInnis.

“I thought for simplicity reasons that maybe if I wrote them each a cheque, it would be easier,” said Curley. “So I did call Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming this morning to make sure I was allowed. They were perfectly fine with that. They thought that would be easier for everyone involved.”

MacInnis and Reddick were not present when the ace was drawn at the Margaree Forks fire hall Wednesday night. Organizers say when they made the call MacInnis's phone number was on the ticket.

It's the fourth time the popular fundraiser has reached more than $1 million in Cape Breton, but it's the first time there's been controversy over the winnings.

“I'm a little bit disappointed that this happened at the end,” said Curley.

Chase the Ace organizers are confident they followed the rules. Reddick has told her nephew she'll see him in court.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.