With storm threat, million-dollar Waterloo Queen of Hearts jackpot gets a week to grow
The Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School Queen of Hearts raffle in Waterloo, with a jackpot of over $1 million, has been postponed to Dec. 20 because of inclement weather expected Tuesday night.
The raffle, which is conducted outdoors and draws a large crowd, had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday but the school announced on the Waterloo Queen of Hearts Facebook page on Monday that storms were in the forecast and that organizers were “looking out for the safety of all workers and participants.”
The National Weather Service calls for a chance of rain and possibly thunderstorm after 4 p.m. Tuesday in Waterloo. The chance of rain is listed at 100% with wind gusts as high as 28 mph.
“The tickets that are already purchased will be good for the drawing on Tuesday, Dec. 20,” the school announcement said.
A new jackpot amount was not announced and it is not scheduled to be announced until next week.
The jackpot has been growing since March and on Dec. 6 it was at $1,052,545.
Tickets cost $1. However, the registration for new players ended last week when the jackpot crossed the $1 million threshold. Only persons previously registered can buy tickets.
The raffle has been going on since March because no one has selected the Queen of Hearts playing card from a sealed poster board. The person who selects the Queen of Hearts wins the jackpot.
There are 17 cards left to pick in the fundraiser to benefit Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School and the next drawing will be 7 p.m. Dec. 20 next to the Outsider pub, which is where you can buy tickets. The pub is at 104 S. Market St. in Waterloo.
The school gets 20% of the ticket sales and the rest of the money goes to the jackpot. A player has to be present to win the full jackpot, but gets half of the jackpot if not present. The other half of the jackpot is then saved for a new round of the game.
The school has not yet said what it will do with its share of the money.
A Waterloo ordinance from 2017 limits a Queen of Hearts grand prize at $2 million.
