An incident at the Chase the Ace fundraiser in Sydney caused some double trouble Saturday evening when a printing error led to two winning tickets and two winners.

As organizers sort out the mess, the two lucky winners are sharing the story of their unbelievable win, and unlikely new friendship.

“This was a dream. This really can’t be real,” says Angie Willems.

When the winning ticket was announced, Willems was the first to claim her prize at the Ashby Legion.

But she was soon joined on stage by Marie Matthys, who had the same number on her ticket.

“I thought ‘oh my God, my husband’s right. I don’t have the winning ticket. I’m a fool!’” laughs Matthys.

“I couldn’t take the stress, I couldn’t,” admits Willems.

After an agonizing 40-minute wait, it was determined both women held the same winning ticket.

“We verified the fact that two tickets were sold. It comes down to a printing error with the company we deal with for the tickets,” explains organizer Stephen Tobin.

According to Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming regulations, the two women were to split the $229,000 prize, but the presenting charities made a different decision.

The Ashby Legion and Horizon Achievement Centre decided to give up their cuts of the pot so each woman could walk away with the full amount.

“It came down to a decision between the charities and ultimately we felt it was the best decision. It was the fairest decision,” says Tobin.

Willems and Matthys then mutually chose a card to turn over, but it wasn’t the coveted Ace of Spades. They say they would have split the jackpot if that had happened, but they are happy with how things turned out.

“I mean, how can you be sad when you’re holding a cheque for $230,000?” asks Matthys.

While both Willems and Matthys say they’re pleased with the outcome, the incident has raised questions about the integrity of the game and the security of the paper tickets sold.

Some have suggested they may be easy to forge, or even kept from a previous week, but Tobin says he’s confident in the game.

“We were very comfortable and very satisfied that there was no fraudulent activity at play. It was a legitimate ticket,” he says. “It’s going to force us to sit down and talk with Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming and make sure we come up with a plan to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

As for Willems and Matthys – who live mere kilometres apart but had never met – they say the incident has led to an unlikely new friendship.

“We seem to have common interests and common beliefs,” says Matthys.

“And the same type of people, we’ve got the same values,” agrees Willems.

They also say they will both be playing again next weekend, with the new jackpot expected to be $1.3 million.

“We have to give back. I feel the same way,” says Matthys. “I don’t expect that I’m going to win, I’d feel very greedy, but to give back.”

The wildly popular "Chase the Ace" fundraiser is part 50-50 draw and part luck of the cards. 

Participants buy $5 tickets and are entered in a draw. Organizers select one ticket from the pool, and the winner automatically gets 20 per cent of the money that's been raised. Meanwhile, 50 per cent of the money goes to charity, and the remaining 30 per cent is added to building the jackpot.

In addition to winning 20 per cent of the money, the winning ticketholder is invited to draw a card from a standard 52-card deck. If they draw the Ace of Spades, they win the jackpot.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald