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A nice lotto surprise
Lottery winner thought she had $1,000 ticket, but it was much more

Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, Oct 29, 2012

KANGIQTUGAAPIK/CLYDE RIVER
Visiting Iqaluit in July, Reena Qillaq was excited when she realized the scratch ticket she bought at NorthMart was a $1,000 winner.

NNSL photo/graphic

Reena Qillaq was a big winner at the Iqaluit Amateur Hockey Association's lottery booth at the NorthMart. Qillaq is returning home to Clyde River with $100,000. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo

But when she went to redeem the ticket, the excitement grew.

"I thought it was $1,000," she said, having taken the ticket back to her uncle's for playing, "but when I got here, it was $100,000. I was like, 'What?!'"

Elisapee Nooshoota, who runs the lottery booth for Iqaluit Amateur Hockey Association (IAHA), ran the Puzzle Book ticket through the verification machine.

"When she said she thought it was $1,000, I looked at the screen and then I go, '$100,000?!'," Nooshoota recalled. "She just froze. She was speechless. I had goosebumps when I saw that."

It was a fortunate turn of events for Qillaq, who works as a baker for Qikiqtaaluk Logistics at Cape Dyer, and was visiting Iqaluit during a break. It's the first time she has won serious money, in the past only winning $40 or $50 at a time, she said picking up her cheque Oct. 22.

She doesn't yet know what she will do with the money, but her parents suggested she could buy a car or a boat for them. A single mom, her son also has ideas for the money.

"He was so happy, and he wants us to go to Ottawa (for a trip)," she said.

Helping kids fulfill their dreams is part of the lottery's mission, as funds from ticket sales go to support minor hockey in Iqaluit.

"It will increase our sales, which will increase our profits, which will give us more money for our hockey programs," said IAHA president Mike MacPherson, noting the money helps pay for "kids travelling south for tournaments, hockey gear, ice time."

Funds also help keep registration fees low, vice-president Andrew Cox said.

"Going back 10 years, our registration was $150, and with this lotto and the bingo, the money we generate off those things, we're able to keep those costs down to $150 per kid, plus if you have a second kid it's only $200, and only increases to $225 for a family of five," Cox said. "Having all that revenue makes us able to keep our registration down per kid, to be the lowest we know of in Canada."

The IAHA is also pushing girls' hockey, and has used its funds to provide 20 suits of hockey gear for girls, who pay a $50 registration that is being waived for the first two years to generate interest.

Meanwhile, the attention from big lottery wins is making some think the booth's luck is growing. Qillaq's $100,000 win follows a $50,000 win earlier the same month. Each time, Nooshoota, who started in May, was working.

Is she the lucky charm?

"I think so; that's what everybody says," she laughed. "It (the prize) could get bigger, you never know."

Qillaq isn't going to wait and see. When asked if she will play again, she laughed, "Not anymore!"

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