Sydney N.S. woman wins Chase the Ace draw

SYDNEY, N.S. – A woman from Sydney, N.S., won nearly $3 million in a Chase the Ace fundraising draw Saturday night.

Kathy McPherson drew the elusive ace of spade from among the five remaining cards.

The 62-year-old woman takes home $2,911,126.80.

Chase the Ace is like a 50-50 draw in which players buy numbered tickets for $5 each.

The winner gets a percentage of the total ticket sales and a bigger jackpot if they pull the ace of spades from a deck of cards that gets smaller with each successive draw.

The balance of the money goes to the Ashby Legion and the Horizon Achievement Centre, which provides employment for people with mental disabilities in Cape Breton.

McPherson, who recently came back from working in northern Alberta, was in disbelief when she drew the ace.

“Oh my god,” McPherson said when she saw the ace, to cheers from onlookers.

“I’m in shock,” she told reporters shortly after drawing the card.

McPherson said she would be helping her two children and her grandchildren, and added that her working days are over.