50/50 draw offers largest pot to date
Albertans help prize top $7 million
EDMONTON Thursday's world juniors hockey games will create a new millionaire, and that's not a reference to any of the NHL prospects on the ice.
Within four hours of opening, the 50/50 draw to mark Thursday's games had a pot of more than $2 million, reaching $3 million by puck drop at 4 p.m. and closing at more than $7 million by the end of the night.
It's the latest example of Albertans coming to play when it comes to hockey 50/50 draws.
Fans in Alberta are able to purchase tickets from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. for every game day of the 2021 world juniors tournament.
In the eight game days that passed prior to Thursday, more than $2.4 million has been split between winners and Hockey Alberta.
On Dec. 27, a winning ticket worth $241,850 was split by eight healthcare workers from the Lloydminster Hospital.
Riley Wiwchar, the executive director of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, said the decision to move the 50/50 draw online was made since the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping fans out of the stands.
“Normally, we're able to raise money and leave a legacy behind in the province where we host this event,” he said. “But no fans (means) no ticket sales. We wanted to find a way where we could still leave a legacy.”
The money raised will go to a variety of Hockey Alberta programs around the province, he said, including community programs, coaching and equipment purchases .
“And then we're really working to see where we end up after this event to try and build out a few new initiatives for the next year,” he said.
Albertans have proven more than willing to open their wallets for online 50/50 draws.
When tickets were sold during the NHL'S return this year, the province broke multiple records and the interest was so high that it overwhelmed the system and caused delays.
Wiwchar said the decision to move these draws online was in part motivated by the popularity of earlier events.
He said Albertans have always been keen on 50/50 draws, breaking records in 2012 when the World Juniors were in the province last.
“Alberta is the best for 50/50,” he said.
Wiwchar said he's confident there is the infrastructure in place to manage if these draws reach record levels.
He said that following what happened during the NHL games, Hockey Canada made sure its system was sound and operating at its full capacity.
Tickets are being sold for $5 each, 10 for $10, 60 for $20 or 200 for $50 and can be bought online at hockeycanada.ca. There are three more scheduled 50/50 draws for today, Monday and Tuesday.