Blackhawks Game + Bad Seats= $1,000,000 Dollars For A Fan
January 22, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
From Pucky Daddy:
The Illinois Lottery officially started a new promotion with the Chicago Blackhawks last Wednesday: One adult fan would be randomly chosen at each home game, and if the Blackhawks scored at exactly the 10-minute mark of the second period — not a second over or under — then that fan would win $1 million.
Just five days later, someone sitting in Section 326 had already hit the jackpot.
Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom surrendered his only goal, in Monday night’s 40-save performance at the Blackhawks, to winger Martin Havlat at 10:00 of the second period. (The video of the goal is around the 1:50 mark of this clip; as you’ll see, the timing was close.)
“We were only three games into it,” said Paul Arnell, director of promotions for the lottery. “And it had to happen on Obama eve. But it’s been great.”
The winning fan, from the Chicago area, met with Havlat after the game. He’ll be revealed to the media and honored at tonight’s Blackhawks game at home against the St. Louis Blues.
What are the odds of this incredible scenario playing out for a hockey fan? More importantly: How does the Illinois Lottery react to giving away a million dollars less than a week into its promotion with the Blackhawks?
Darren Rovell of CNBC looked into the probability of a fan winning this lottery promotion; as a point of reference, there is a 1-in-10,179,260 chance that a lottery player will hit all six numbers in the traditional Illinois lotto drawing.