WATERLOO, Ill. – The Waterloo Queen of Hearts winner took home half of a $553,978 jackpot, leaving him with a prize of $276,989.
The organizers of the fundraiser identified Waterloo resident Tim Meehan as Tuesday’s winner. He was not present when his name was called in the parking lot of Outsider Pub. Drawing rules state that winners must be present to win the full jackpot amount.
The leftover money will roll over into the next jackpot.
“Wish it was me,” Cindy Claro, resident, said. The Lively Grove resident stood in the cold, hoping her name would be called.
Diane Lynch lives in Manchester, but traveled to Illinois for the drawing. She said the weekly trips have resulted in meeting new people, making friends and having fun.
“It was a great time,” Lynch said.
The drawings are a big fundraiser for Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Waterloo.
“The entire community and surrounding communities have come together to help us raise money for a variety of different projects at the school that we would not have been able to compete otherwise,” Lori Matzenbacher, school principal, said.
She said moving forward, the drawings will be capped at $250,000 because of a decision by the Archdiocese of Belleville to limit games of chance fundraisers to that amount.
Donovan Melican, owner of Outsider, believes the drawings have been a boost for the entire Waterloo community. He said bars and restaurants have been busy throughout the community on Queen of Hearts nights.
“When you give away $500,000 in one night, it’s going to bring some people out,” Melican said.
For more information on the Waterloo Queen of Hearts, click here.
