When the lottery first came to be, a ticket was $10, and the prize was an ounce of gold. Then, around 1986, the Listowel Kinsmen took on a major project, committing $250,000 to renovate the local arena.
With the need for significantly more money, the decision was made to change the lottery ticket price to $100, with only 1,000 tickets printed. That year the grand prize was a Green Cadillac with personalized “Paddy1” plates.
Tim Haines, the dealership selling the Cadillac at the time, had an inquiry to purchase the green Cadillac leading up to the draw date. Promising they would be able to get another green Cadillac in time for the draw, the Club agreed to the dealership selling the prize to the inquirer under the condition they bought a Pot o’Gold lottery ticket themselves, jokingly of course!
In the end, the ticket that the dealership bought was in fact the exact ticket that won the car! This news was so unbelievable that several newspapers, including the Toronto Sun, called to verify the story before printing it as a “believe it or not” story.