WATERLOO, Ill. – After a week off for election day, the Queen of Hearts drawing was back Tuesday in Waterloo, and the jackpot keeps growing as another ticket holder loses picking the queen of hearts card. The jackpot is now $665,947.
For another chance to win the Queen of Hearts drawing, the event is held at the Outsider bar.
“It’s just fun to see everybody and enjoy the excitement and maybe win some money,” said Shirley Eichelberger, a ticket holder.
Despite the cold and lingering snow, massive crowds braved the weather to see if they were going to win.
“I had extra scarves and gloves in my car to make sure we were warm enough,” said Lynn Eichelberger-Fiedler.
“The jackpot is so big, we decided to come in and buy 100 dollars’ worth of tickets, and hopefully we win,” said another ticket holder. “I mean there’s only a couple more cards that need to be pulled.”
Twenty-one cards enticed people to buy tickets, which fed people’s hopes and pushed the pot to $665,947 when sales closed.
The raffle is part of a fundraiser for Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School. The winner gets 80%, with the rest going to the school.
The winning ticket holder was there, but there was no queen of hearts when it was flipped over. The crowd cheered, not minding getting another shot at the winnings.
“I felt excited and nervous at the same time, just being up here and everybody’s eyes on me,” said Jennifer Benyo, the winning ticket holder.
She said she would do it again.
“I’ll just come back next week and pay again,” Benyo said.
The winnings are expected to grow exponentially ahead of the next drawing on Tuesday.