UPDATE: It was incorrectly stated in the Humboldt Journal that the Bronco Lotto office took calls from outside of Saskatchewan for people buying tickets. This is incorrect. Tickets that were purchased by people from out of province were done at the Broncos office in Humboldt.
The Humboldt Broncos lottery draw took place on April 29 with winners named for all cash prizes.
People had until midnight on April 27 to purchase their tickets, including for the 50/50 draw which totalled $136,030 by the final phone call.
Carly Beaudry from Saskatoon, Sask. is the grand prize winner of $100,000 and Lee Hearn from Leduc, Alta. is taking home the 50/50 prize of over $68,000.
Organizer, Joanne Friesen, says that 7,500 tickets were available on the main draw with phones ringing off the hook for the last few days of the sale.
This year’s 50/50 draw reached a new record, which is higher than they ever expected it to go, says Friesen.
While in previous years, sales for tickets slow down after the early bird draw, with winners Tom and Simone Kiefer named a week before the Broncos bus crash. Tickets sold at a steady pace following the accident but that made for an emotional time at the Broncos Lottery office and people stepping up to volunteer.
A lot of people calling in to purchase tickets were also emotional and wanted to help in some way, says Friesen.
Machines were provided by Tap 50:50 Raffle Systems out of Saskatoon, and Friesen says they were a huge help throughout the lottery.
“They were excellent in helping us get through this. They’ve taken on a lot of the management of the lottery that normally would have been done by people with the Bronco organization,” says Friesen.
