RUSSELL, ONTARIO, July 30, 2026 — In a village of a few thousand people just east of Ottawa, a deck of 52 sealed envelopes has quietly become one of Eastern Ontario’s most generous ideas. Every Sunday, volunteers in red Kin Club shirts gather, draw a single ticket, and open one envelope — hoping the Ace of Spades is inside. It usually isn’t. And that is exactly what keeps the story going — every week, the odds of that Ace being found get better, and chance of winning the weekly prize AND the huge jackpot get ever-closer.
The Kin Club of Russell’s Catch the Ace is run entirely by volunteers, and the vast majority of every dollar raised stays close to home — supporting hospitals, food banks, youth programs, mental-health initiatives and dozens of other local causes across Prescott-Russell and the Ottawa region. Across every campaign, the game has now raised more than $7.9 million for the community.
This is the eighth edition of the game, and sixteen weeks in it is following the same happy pattern as the ones before it. The estimated jackpot has climbed to $220,000, with an estimated weekly prize of $11,000 in this Sunday’s draw — and more than $271,000 has already been raised for local charities this round alone.
Why It Works
The quiet magic of Catch the Ace is that everyone wins something. Half of every ticket goes straight to local charities; the rest builds the weekly prize and the ever-growing jackpot. So whether or not your envelope hides the Ace, your $10 is already doing good somewhere close to home.
“Every ticket purchased tells two stories,” said Catch the Ace Chair Doug Anthony. “There’s the excitement of the draw, and there’s the difference those sales make for charities right here in our community.”
The Kin Club of Russell has been supporting Eastern Ontario causes for decades — from CHEO and local hospitals to food banks, Special Olympics and neighbourhood projects. See the charities supported here.
How to Play
Buy a ticket and choose an envelope number from those still in play. If your ticket is drawn, you win that week’s weekly prize. Your chosen envelope is then opened — and if it holds the Ace of Spades, you also take home the progressive jackpot. Each week the Ace stays hidden, another envelope is retired and the odds of finding it get a little better.
Tickets: $10 each, online at russellkincta.ca or at retail locations (Ontario only)
Online ticket deadline: Saturday, August 1 at 10:00 PM ET
Live draw: Sunday, August 2 at 3:15 PM ET
Watch the draw live Sunday at 3:15 PM ET on Facebook — Watch here
The jackpot and weekly prize amounts are estimates from the Kin Club of Russell, based on the best information available at the time of publication.
Lottery Licence RAF1460560
If you are looking for HelpDesk support for Catch the Ace issues, please email the Kin Club of Russell at [email protected]. They will respond promptly.
If you are looking for help to do with problem gambling, please contact ConnexOntario at 866-531-2600
