Lucky Fan Wins Bonkers Million-Dollar 50/50 Jackpot at Canucks Game

Participating in the 50/50 raffle is a great way to burn through a few more of your hard-earned dollars at a sporting event. And it’s a great business idea for franchises: hitting up fans who have been drinking for hours and believe tonight’s the night they get lucky. The grand prize — even at the biggest of games — is not usually a life-altering amount of money. But the haul claimed at last night’s Sedin twin send-off in Vancouver may qualify.

One lucky fan is taking home 507,278, half of the $1,014,555 jackpot. It’s the largest 50/50 prize in North American history, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell, who knows these types of things.

"How did it get so big? Fan enthusiasm certainly played a role, as this was perhaps the most highly-anticipated Canucks game in years. But the unclaimed funds certainly helped to get the ball rolling. 90 minutes before puck drop, the pot was already at $412,000."

The winnings are untaxed by the Canadian government to further sweeten the deal. The other half goes to charity so everyone can feel good about this story. I think. Unless there’s some seedy underbelly of 50/50 raffles flying under the radar and soon to be exposed.