PTA data feed — how-it-works

<script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between Catch the Ace and Chase the Ace?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Nothing. They're the same game. Ontario operators mostly say Catch the Ace; most other provinces say Chase the Ace, and Quebec says Chasse à l'As. Catch the King, Queen of Hearts and Jig the Joker use a different target card with the same mechanics."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What are the odds of winning Catch the Ace?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Two odds multiply together: the chance your ticket is drawn (your tickets divided by all tickets sold that week) and, if drawn, the chance your envelope holds the Ace (1 in the number of cards left). With 50,000 tickets sold, 10 tickets held and 10 cards left, that's about 1 in 50,000."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I buy a ticket from another province?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Generally no. Each lottery is licensed in one province or territory and tickets may only be sold to people physically located there. Online sales enforce this with location checks."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is the jackpot paid when the Ace is caught?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The ticket holder who opens the Ace of Spades envelope receives that week's prize and the progressive jackpot, subject to the lottery's claim rules. The game then ends; many charities start a new series afterwards."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much of my ticket goes to charity?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It depends on the lottery's licence and rules. A common pattern is about half to the charity, with the rest split between the weekly prize and the jackpot. Check the official rules page for the exact split."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I have to be present at the draw?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Usually not. Most lotteries draw by random number generator or livestream and contact the winner. Check each lottery's rules."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is Play the Ace affiliated with the lotteries?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"We are an independent directory and don't sell tickets. Lotteries marked Sponsored have a commercial relationship with Play the Ace, and that's always disclosed."}}]}</script><header class="top"><div class="wrap"><a class="logo" href="/">Play the <b>Ace</b></a> <nav><a href="/#lotteries">Lotteries</a><a href="/provinces">Provinces</a><a href="/charities">Charities</a><a href="/how-it-works">How it works</a><a href="/blog">Blog</a><a href="/run-your-lottery">Run yours</a></nav></div></header> <section><div class="wrap"><div class="prose"><h1 style="font-size:32px;margin-bottom:12px">How Catch the Ace works</h1><p><b>Catch the Ace</b> — called <b>Chase the Ace</b> in most of Canada and <b>Chasse à l'As</b> in Quebec — is a progressive charity lottery built on a deck of cards. Each week one ticket is drawn, that player wins a weekly prize and opens an envelope, and if the envelope holds the Ace of Spades they win a jackpot that may have been growing for months. Every ticket sold also raises money for the charity running the game.</p> <p>This guide covers the rules, where your money goes, the real odds, and who can play in each province. Variants such as <b>Catch the King</b>, <b>Queen of Hearts</b> (Dame de Coeur) and <b>Jig the Joker</b> work the same way with a different target card.</p> <h2>How a Catch the Ace draw works, step by step</h2> <ol style="padding-left:22px"><li><b>The deck is sealed.</b> The 52 cards of a standard deck are shuffled and sealed in 52 numbered envelopes, usually under supervision set by the licence.</li> <li><b>You buy tickets and choose an envelope.</b> Most lotteries ask you to pick an envelope number when you buy. Tickets are usually sold in bundles, online and/or in person, for one week's draw only.</li> <li><b>One ticket is drawn.</b> On draw day a single winning ticket is selected, by random number generator or a physical draw, often livestreamed.</li> <li><b>The weekly prize is paid.</b> The holder wins that week's prize, a share of that week's sales.</li> <li><b>The envelope is opened.</b> If it holds the <b>Ace of Spades</b>, the winner also takes the progressive jackpot and the game is over. If not, that card is revealed and removed, and the jackpot rolls over and grows.</li> <li><b>Repeat.</b> Next week there's one card fewer. The game can't run longer than the number of cards left.</li></ol> <h2>Where your ticket money goes</h2> <p>Each week's sales are split three ways: <b>the charity</b>, <b>the weekly prize</b>, and <b>the progressive jackpot</b>. The split is fixed in each lottery's licence and rules, and it varies. A common pattern is roughly half to the charity, with the rest divided between the weekly winner and the jackpot. Some lotteries add a starting (seed) jackpot or pay a fixed weekly prize. The charity's share is raised every single week, whether or not the Ace turns up, which is why a long round can fund a hospital wing or a Legion roof.</p> <p>To see the exact split for a game, open its official rules page. Every listing on Play the Ace links to the organiser's own site or Facebook page.</p> <h2>The odds, explained honestly</h2> <p>Two different odds are in play, and it's easy to mix them up:</p> <ul><li><b>Will my ticket be drawn?</b> That's your tickets divided by all the tickets sold that week. When a jackpot gets big, sales jump and these odds get <i>longer</i>.</li> <li><b>If I'm drawn, is my envelope the Ace?</b> That's 1 in the number of cards left. With 52 cards it's 1 in 52; with 10 left it's 1 in 10.</li></ul> <p><b>Worked example:</b> 50,000 tickets are sold this week and you hold 10. Your chance of being drawn is 10 in 50,000 (1 in 5,000). With 10 cards left, the chance your envelope is the Ace is 1 in 10. Your chance of winning the jackpot that week is about <b>1 in 50,000</b>. A small deck makes the Ace more likely <i>for whoever is drawn</i>; it doesn't make it likely that you'll be drawn.</p> <p>"Cards left" also tells you the most weeks a game can last. That's why we show it on every listing.</p> <h2>Why the jackpots get so big</h2> <p>The jackpot only stops growing when the Ace is found, so a lucky deck can run for many months. As the pot grows, news coverage and word of mouth push sales up, and a bigger share flows into the jackpot each week. That's how a small-town fundraiser turns into a seven-figure prize.</p><p>As of our last check (Oct 19, 2026), the biggest live pot we track is <b>Loto Dame de Coeur</b> (Quebec) at <b>$5,389,721</b>; recent finishes include <b>Carleton Place Catch the Ace 6.0</b> ($1,658,417) and <b>Catch the Ace Grimsby</b> ($104,281); <b>Kinsmen &amp; Kinettes of Brandon Chase the Ace</b> is down to 6 cards. The live numbers are on our <a href="/#lotteries">full list</a>.</p> <h2>What it's called where you live</h2> <p>Search for the name your province uses. Organisers rarely use both:</p> <table class="tbl" style="max-width:520px"><thead><tr><th>Province / territory</th><th>Usual name</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Alberta</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Manitoba</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>New Brunswick</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Newfoundland & Labrador</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Nova Scotia</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Northwest Territories</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Ontario</td><td>Catch the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Prince Edward Island</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr><tr><td>Quebec</td><td>Chasse à l&#x27;As</td></tr><tr><td>Saskatchewan</td><td>Chase the Ace</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2>Who can play</h2> <p>There's no national Catch the Ace. Each game is a charitable lottery licensed by the province or territory where it's sold:</p> <ul><li><b>Alberta</b> — Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)</li><li><b>Manitoba</b> — the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA)</li><li><b>New Brunswick</b> — the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety (Gaming Control)</li><li><b>Newfoundland & Labrador</b> — Service NL (Digital Government and Service NL)</li><li><b>Nova Scotia</b> — Nova Scotia&#x27;s Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division</li><li><b>Northwest Territories</b> — the Government of the Northwest Territories (Municipal and Community Affairs)</li><li><b>Ontario</b> — the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)</li><li><b>Prince Edward Island</b> — PEI Consumer Services (lottery licensing)</li><li><b>Quebec</b> — the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ)</li><li><b>Saskatchewan</b> — the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA)</li></ul> <p>In practice, that means:</p><ul><li>You generally have to be <b>physically in the licensing province</b> when you buy. Online sellers check your location.</li><li>You must meet the <b>age limit in the lottery's rules</b>, usually 18+ or 19+.</li><li>Prize claims follow the rules: usually ID, a claim deadline, and sometimes consent to publish your name.</li></ul> <h2>When the Ace is caught</h2> <p>The round ends. The organiser confirms the winner, pays the weekly prize and the jackpot, and usually announces a new series within weeks or months, starting again with a fresh 52-card deck and a small pot. We move finished rounds to "Recently caught" on each province page, and list the new series as soon as the organiser confirms it.</p> <h2>Playing for the cause</h2> <p>Catch the Ace exists to raise money for local causes, and the odds of any one ticket winning the jackpot are long. Treat tickets as a donation with a chance to win. Set a budget before you buy and don't raise it because a pot is growing. If gambling stops being fun, <a href="/responsible-gambling">free, confidential help lines are listed for every province</a>.</p><div class="faq" style="margin-top:20px"><details><summary>What is the difference between Catch the Ace and Chase the Ace?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">Nothing. They&#x27;re the same game. Ontario operators mostly say Catch the Ace; most other provinces say Chase the Ace, and Quebec says Chasse à l&#x27;As. Catch the King, Queen of Hearts and Jig the Joker use a different target card with the same mechanics.</p></details><details><summary>What are the odds of winning Catch the Ace?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">Two odds multiply together: the chance your ticket is drawn (your tickets divided by all tickets sold that week) and, if drawn, the chance your envelope holds the Ace (1 in the number of cards left). With 50,000 tickets sold, 10 tickets held and 10 cards left, that&#x27;s about 1 in 50,000.</p></details><details><summary>Can I buy a ticket from another province?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">Generally no. Each lottery is licensed in one province or territory and tickets may only be sold to people physically located there. Online sales enforce this with location checks.</p></details><details><summary>How is the jackpot paid when the Ace is caught?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">The ticket holder who opens the Ace of Spades envelope receives that week&#x27;s prize and the progressive jackpot, subject to the lottery&#x27;s claim rules. The game then ends; many charities start a new series afterwards.</p></details><details><summary>How much of my ticket goes to charity?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">It depends on the lottery&#x27;s licence and rules. A common pattern is about half to the charity, with the rest split between the weekly prize and the jackpot. Check the official rules page for the exact split.</p></details><details><summary>Do I have to be present at the draw?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">Usually not. Most lotteries draw by random number generator or livestream and contact the winner. Check each lottery&#x27;s rules.</p></details><details><summary>Is Play the Ace affiliated with the lotteries?</summary><p style="margin-top:8px">We are an independent directory and don&#x27;t sell tickets. Lotteries marked Sponsored have a commercial relationship with Play the Ace, and that&#x27;s always disclosed.</p></details></div></div></div></section> <div class="rg"><div class="wrap">Catch the Ace lotteries are licensed charitable gaming. 18+ or 19+ depending on province. Play responsibly. Ontario: ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 · Quebec: Jeu : aide et référence 1-800-461-0140 · Elsewhere, contact your provincial problem-gambling line.</div></div> <footer><div class="wrap"><div class="cols"> <div><h4>Play the Ace</h4><p>Canada's independent tracker of Catch the Ace charity lotteries. Every listing is verified against the lottery's own official page and stamped with the date we checked it.</p></div> <div><h4>Explore</h4><a href="/#lotteries">All lotteries</a><br><a href="/provinces">By province</a><br><a href="/charities">Charities supported</a><br><a href="/recently-caught">Recently caught</a><br><a href="/blog">Blog</a></div> <div><h4>Trust</h4><a href="/about">About</a><br><a href="/editorial-policy">Editorial &amp; sponsorship policy</a><br><a href="/responsible-gambling">Responsible gambling</a><br><a href="/privacy">Privacy</a></div> <div><h4>Operators</h4><a href="/run-your-lottery">Run a Catch the Ace for your charity</a><br><a href="mailto:hello&#64;playtheace.ca">List or correct a lottery</a></div> </div><div class="legal">We do not sell tickets or run the lotteries listed unless marked <b>Sponsored</b>. Always confirm details on the official lottery site before purchasing; each listing shows when we last checked it. © 2026 Play the Ace · hello&#64;playtheace.ca.</div></div></footer> <script>(function(){var t=new Date().toLocaleDateString("en-CA");document.querySelectorAll("[data-nd]").forEach(function(e){if(e.getAttribute("data-nd")<t)e.remove()})})();</script>