Online lottery will help fund new hospital

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A popular lottery is returning to Uxbridge as the Rotary Club and the Uxbridge Hospital Foundation launch a new version of Catch the Ace.

Rotarian Terry Baskin and the Foundation's Mackenzie Todd appeared before council Tuesday morning to announce the progressive lottery will start the first week of September, with money raised going to the new Uxbridge hospital. Ticket purchases will help equip physicians, nurses and clinical staff with tools and equipment in the new hospital.

The Rotary Club of Uxbridge ran its first Catch the Ace lottery from 2018 - 2022 to support other causes, but this version will be different. All tickets will be sold online, and tickets must be purchased in Ontario. A draw will be held every Thursday morning and already there is a $10,000 prize available for the first draw.

Baskin said the lottery will run for at least a year and expects to raise about $125,000 for the hospital. He said it will be easier for people to buy tickets online and there is no limit on the number of tickets sold (in the original version, a maximum of 2,000 tickets were sold each week). Purchasers must be at least 18 years old. The minimum purchase is $10, with the following options: three for $10, 10 for $20, 40 for $40 and 100 for $60.

Tickets will be available beginning Sept. 5, at uxhospitalace.ca Watch the Cosmos for more information on Catch the Ace online.