If you waited until now to buy a ticket on the Prince George Spruce Kings show home lottery, you're too late.
The last of 8,500 tickets was sold Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, May 15, the draw will be made to turn a ticket holder into an instant homeowner.
"This provides 75 per cent of the team's operating capital and it's very critical that the house does sell out every year for the club, just to maintain proper operations," said Jim Young, the Spruce Kings sales and marketing manager.
Factoring in the costs of building and furnishing the $430,000 house, located in Aberdeen Glen subdivision, as well the the costs of advertising and paying the wages of the ticket sellers, Young figures the show home lottery costs the club about $500,000, netting the community-owned team a profit of $350,000.
As the B.C. Hockey League team with the longest road trips and the highest annual travel bills, having that money in the bank to start the season is a huge relief for all involved with the team.
"When people do buy these show home tickets they literally own a piece of the Spruce Kings," said Young. "It's amazing the amount of support we get, and you see the same people coming up to the table to buy their ticket. Yeah, the want to win the home, but this is their way of keeping the team in Prince George."
Young has helped the lottery sell out in five of his seven years with the team. He said only a few tickets remain in the second Spruce Kings mega 50/50 draw,, which will also be drawn on May 15. Each winning ticket drawn from the two 50/50 pools will be worth $40,000.
"What's great with the 50/50 success is that's an extra $80,000 the club will have to maintain its operation here and that's petty exciting for the organization as well," Young said.
The lottery campaign started in November. The house, at 2668 Links Dr., is now closed to the public but will reopen for the draw on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
