One lucky Blue Jays fan has a winning 50/50 ticket worth more than $2.8-million. But the organization that runs the draw has no idea who it is.
Jays Care, the charitable arm of the Toronto baseball team, runs regular 50/50 draws through each Jays homestand. This year the group kicked off the season with a “mega jackpot” draw, with tickets sold online and during Jays games from March 23 (one week before the season began) to April 30, covering two homestands.
The longer timeframe, coupled with a strong start to the season – the Jays were 18-11 going into Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox – meant the jackpot, usually in the neighbourhood of $1-million, ballooned to almost three times that amount.
Online ticket purchases required buyers to enter contact information, which would have led to the winner receiving a phone call Monday from sports broadcaster Hazel Mae with the good news. But the winning ticket was sold in person at Rogers Centre during the home opener on April 11, meaning organizers have no clue which of the 42,053 fans it could be.
Jays Care tweeted out the winning number, asking the winner to come forward and claim the prize. But other than reaching out on social media, there’s little else they can do.
“If they don’t come forward within six months then the money is donated back to Jays Care,” said a spokesperson for the organization.
Tickets for the next 50/50 draw are on sale now online while the Jays are on the road in Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and continuing through the 10-game homestand that kicks off May 12. The draw will take place May 21, and is expected to be worth about $1-million.
Longtime fans will recall when 50/50 draws were cash prizes with tickets sold in-stadium only. “We found that this model raises significantly more money rather than do it game by game,” the spokesperson said. “It also adds a lot more excitement.” Jays Care uses money raised for a variety of charitable causes, including building and refurbishing community baseball diamonds, and participating in children and youth athletics programs.
The contest rules state that each jackpot is guaranteed to be $2,500. It adds: “We anticipate the jackpot will climb far higher than this minimum.” That’s a ballpark estimate, of course.
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