The Hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut, is holding its weekly Chase the Ace lottery draw on Friday, March 27, 2026, with a $5,200 jackpot that provides essential funding for local community groups. This upcoming event follows a draw held on March 20, 2026, which saw a weekly winner take home a prize of $1,150.
Proceeds from the weekly ticket sales go into the Nalauttaq Fund, a program established to provide grants to community-based volunteer organizations. The hamlet council manages an application process that awards these funds four times a year to help local groups pay for their specific projects and activities.
The lottery works by dividing the money from ticket sales into three specific portions. Typically, 50 percent of the total is kept by the organizers for the community fund, 20 percent is given to the winner of the weekly draw, and the remaining 30 percent is added to the accumulating jackpot prize.
According to the Government of Nunavut, only registered non-profit or charitable groups are permitted to hold these types of fundraising events. Arviat launched its hamlet-run lottery in early 2019 to create a more organized way of supporting local causes while ensuring all money is properly tracked.
The community of Arviat is currently led by Mayor Joe Savikataaq Jr. and is located on the western shore of Hudson Bay. As the third-largest community in the territory, the town uses these weekly draws to maintain steady financial support for residents and volunteers in the Kivalliq Region.
