24 Apr What chasing the ace entails

Saturday afternoon I made the mistake of popping into the Mayflower Mall, Nova Scotia’s largest shopping centre outside Halifax and one of nine places Cape Bretoners could buy tickets for yesterday’s Chase-the-Ace lottery.

The point of sale was just past Best Buy at the extreme western edge of the mall.

The lineup stretched three and four abreast for the entire length of the mall—past Best Buy, Winners, Sport Chek, Laura Fashion, Staples, and 40-odd smaller stores, to the mall entrance of The Bay store, then past various food booths to the shopping centre’s eastern entrance.

The stores were mostly empty. At Best Buy and Staples, clerks stood around in small groups, chatting.

Outside, the spring sun was shining and the temperature edged up toward 17 degrees.

I have mixed feelings about Chase-the-Ace. I’m glad someone’s found a way to keep gambling revenue in Cape Breton, where it supports local charities, instead of sending it off to Halifax and Moncton. I hope Cape Breton MLAs will fight off any Lottery Commission attempt to cap Chase-the-Ace, a threat understood here as a thinly disguised move to protect Atlantic Lottery Corporation revenues from inroads by a more popular local gambling product.

Unlike Atlantic Lotto’s slot machines, Chase-the-Ace won’t drive anyone to addiction, financial ruin, or suicide.

Still, it was sobering to see so many of my fellow Capers willing to endure such a humiliating lineup for such an extreme long shot chance at instant wealth. I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but the whole thing felt sad.