Esquire Club responds to rumours of cheating

So far, Catch the Ace has raised just over $900,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sault Ste. Marie and the Group Health Centre Trust Fund.

With just three cards remaining leading up to this Thursday’s draw, Esquire Club’s Boomer Braido never thought that the progressive lottery raffle would go on for as long as it has.  

“It’s crazy,” Braido said. “You know what? Nobody ever, ever, ever thought it would go this long.”

“It’s good, it’s great that it’s gone this long. It’s fantastic for my charities.”

But lately, things haven’t been so warm and fuzzy on all fronts.

Rumours abound on social media

Braido says that Catch the Ace - which sold more than 78,000 tickets for last week’s draw - hasn’t come without some criticism and frustration directed toward its organizers.

“It’s very tiring for us, it’s a lot of work - and quite frankly, the last three or four weeks - a lot of BS,” Braido said. “Social media BS, right? Like accusations, you know how people get.”

Braido has seen a number of statements being made across social media - the lottery is somehow rigged, and maybe, just maybe, the ace isn’t really on the board at all.

There was also some confusion surrounding the removal of the date from the actual tickets, leading some people to question the motive behind the move.

Braido acknowledges that the date of the draw isn’t present on the tickets.

As it turns out, the printing costs associated with manufacturing the tickets became too much for the charities, and that the dates were removed this week simply as a cost-cutting measure.

Braido says that a representative for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is always present for the draws, and that Catch the Ace works “right to the rule of the AGCO.”

“We actually write down where we start selling from and where we finish,” said Braido. “So the tickets are numbered, and we know the first ticket we sell.”

In this case, the first numbered ticket to start this week’s draw will be ticket number 376648.

So, what if someone tries to use ticket from a previous draw?

“Well you can, but if I pull out a ticket number that’s lower than the first ticket I sell this week, that’s a false ticket, and the liquor inspector or the OPP will arrest you on the spot,” Braido said. “That’s fraud. You’re defrauding charities now.”

But other than the odd accusation being levelled at himself and Catch the Ace, Braido says that everything has been working smoothly, thanks in no small part to the 30 to 40 volunteers that help out with a number of things on the ground, such as giving directions for parking and assisting with some of the clean up associated with the lineups.

Last week’s Catch the Ace saw people lined up from the Esquire Club all the way down Second Line West to Wellington Street West.

The lineup also ran along both Estelle Street and Moody Street, nearly circling all the way back to the Esquire Club.  

“By 8:30 at night, we still had half an hour to sell tickets and there wasn’t a lineup,” Braido said. “So everybody that wanted a ticket, got a ticket.”

“I hear lots of good things about the lineups, I hear people are having a riot out there, so that’s fantastic.”

Things to know for this week's Catch the Ace

But there are some general housekeeping items that Braido would like to remind the public of when it lines up to purchase tickets this Thursday.

“We just ask them to please respect the neighbourhood,” Braido told SooToday. “You know what, if you’re going to have a cigarette - it’s like if you take your dog for a walk, and you carry a doggy bag: Carry some garbage bags with you, put your garbage in a garbage bag.”

Braido also wants people to be mindful when they park in the lot at United Floors. He’s also advising that people avoid blocking any loading bays in the parking lot.

“We just ask that when you go to United Flooring, don’t park in front of Surplus Furniture,” said Braido. “They’re allowed 90 [parking] spots, all they want is ten and they’re giving the 80 spots to us.”

“So respect their ten spots that they have pylons in front of.”

Braido estimates that more than a million dollars will be raised for charity following this week’s draw.

“These people have come together in this town like you wouldn’t believe,” Braido said.

Ticket sales begin at the Esquire Club Thursday at 4 p.m.

Editor’s note: The original article stated that the date had been absent from the Catch the Ace tickets for about three or four weeks. In fact, the date was removed from the tickets just last week (Sept. 13, 2018). The article has been corrected to indicate as much.

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