'These things happen': Chase the Ace duplicates no big deal in Goulds
Shrugged shoulders summed up the "these things happen" feeling in the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John's on Saturday after Wednesday's cancelled Chase the Ace draw.
Residents who spoke to CBC about the duplicate numbers debacle seem to have found satisfaction in the resolution.
"These things happen. It's nobody's fault," said Betty Ryan outside Bidgood's supermarket Saturday.
"It could have been settled on the spot because that's what they originally planned to do anyhow, was just give them new tickets," she said.
You have to be present at the time of the draw to be eligible to chase the ace, which could be a problem for some people who traveled from out of town to play for the million-dollar prize pot.
"Blame has to lie somewhere, I think," said Chase the Ace committee member Stephen O'Brien.
He was concerned for people he knew were from out of town who had bought tickets and couldn't return for this coming week's makeup draw. He himself will have to return from his trip to the cabin for the special draw this coming Wednesday.
Resident Sheila Ivimy said she hasn't played at all, and said some sort of issue was inevitable.
"The was bound to be some kind of problem along the way so I'm not really surprised, only that they don't have a better system where that couldn't happen," she said.
Service NL, the government department that regulates lotteries in the province, released a statement Friday saying a small number of tickets were affected by a technical error that caused one number to appear on several tickets.
"I'm kind of even keel with it," Serena Nichols said.
She spent $50 on tickets, and has played the last three weeks.
"To me, I'm fine with it. It's still going ahead. I was more concerned about losing the money I had invested in it," she said.
"There was a mixup. I mean what can you do? Accidents happen," Heather Donovan said.
She said she had no issue with how the duplicate situation was handled and there was no question as to whether she'd return.
"Oh definitely. I got my tickets," she said.
The new draw — and its accompanying 50/50 draw — is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The jackpot is expected to be in excess of $1 million, with 12 cards left in the deck.
