Not only is the 12th-annual STARS Lottery upon us, with 1,604 prizes up for grabs totalling more than $3.6 million. The Lucky STARS 50/50 is also underway, with a max jackpot of $5,005,000.
STARS has six bases in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba. It flew 1,075 missions from its Saskatoon and Regina bases in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Senior Communications Manager Mark Oddan said in an interview with Rob Carnie of 800 CHAB that community support for the air-rescue service is what enables them to save lives.
"STARS was built by the community for the community, and we have relied on the people of Saskatchewan since we established our operations here in 2012," said Oddan. "When you do support stars lottery, that money is going directly towards our 24/7 mission operations to help the people of Saskatchewan. When unfortunately they may be having the worst day of their life, we give them their best chance of a second chance."
A pair of dream homes - one in Regina and another in Saskatoon - are a couple of the highlights of the prizes. They are open for viewing on the weekends from Friday to July 30. The Regina home is valued at over $1.5 million. The Saskatoon home is valued over $1.1 million.
There are also vehicles, trips, cash prizes, loyalty prizes, and early-bird prizes available.
"We really try to strike a balance of... prizes that people can dream of having - whether they are experiences, whether they are things - like homes, and cars and other prizes, but also keep them a little bit on the practical side - so things that people could actually use that they will enjoy doing," said Oddan. "And really importantly, over the last few years of the pandemic and the different economic conditions is to ensure that we have cash alternatives."
Lottery tickets range from $5 to $60 each, depending on how many you purchase. 50/50 tickets range from $2 to $10.
The bonus deadline is June 16, the early-bird deadline is July 7, and the final lottery deadline, as well as the 50/50 deadline, are July 27.
You can check out the full list of prizes and purchase tickets here, and listen to the full interview below.