Football fans at a future Edmonton Eskimos game will be in for a treat after the 50/50 jackpot from last Friday’s game went unclaimed.
The $71,480 prize from the Eskimos’ tilt against the Toronto Argonauts was not claimed by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. This means the pot for the 50/50 will start at $71,480 when the Eskimos host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 2.
The team’s 50/50 jackpot has gone unclaimed several times over the past few seasons, leading to large crowds at Commonwealth Stadium vying for the hefty prize.
On Friday, the Eskimos announced they would add an additional 36 ticket sellers. That means 100 people will be selling 50/50 tickets on the concourse during the game.
Last season, football fans broke a CFL record when the 50/50 prize at the July 14 game hit a whopping $435,919.50.
Quentin and Samantha Ebertz were the lucky winners of the nearly half-a-million dollar cheque. The couple had been season-ticket holders for nearly a decade and said the win was life-changing.
Watch below: Meet the couple who won the $435K Edmonton Eskimos’ 50/50 jackpot
The Eskimos’ next home game is on Thursday, Aug. 2 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. At this point, it’s not known to which game the 50/50 jackpot will carry over.
Half of the Eskimos’ 50/50 prize is given to the Edmonton Huskies, Edmonton Wildcats, University of Alberta Golden Bears, Football Alberta and the Eskimo Alumni Association to support amateur football in northern Alberta.
In 2017, the Eskimos donated a record $840,000 to amateur football through the 50/50.
– With files from Kirby Bourne, 630 CHED