Jackpot growing for game of chance at Austintown restaurant

For years raffles and pull-tabs have been a money-making staple at V.F.W. and American Legion halls all over the area.
But now there is a new game of chance that is showing up at local bars and restaurants that is gaining popularity and building huge jackpots.
Barry Dyngles in Austintown is known for their ribs but these days they are known for their big Queen of Hearts jackpot. Their Wednesday night drawing is expected to reach $140,000.
So how does it work? It's a game of chance meant to increase foot traffic and it's been doing just that at Barry Dyngles. In the first week of the game they sold 100 tickets at a dollar a piece. Last week they sold 25,000.
Owner, Doug Duganne, says "Our Wednesdays are now outselling our weekends sales wise and that is huge for restaurants in the middle of the week to be able to outsell a weekend night is pretty exciting."
Local bingo supplier, Nannicola Inc., says the game is very legal and gaining in popularity.
Kevin McHenry from Nannicola, says "Businesses are selling tickets throughout the week. They usually pick the slowest night of the week to do the drawing. They pull a name out of the hat, so to speak, and then that person gets to go up to the Queen of Hearts board and pick one of 54 cards."
The cards have to be cut out with an exacto knife. They are sealed behind plastic so no one can see behind them.
By law the restaurant owner cannot take a dime of the money. In fact, at Barry Dyngles, all of it is being collected and put in a special location.
If the queen isn't picked on Wednesday more people will buy tickets and the jackpot will continue to rise. There are 13 cards left at Barry's.
Earlier this month a similar game in Indiana went up to $398,000 and all of it was paid out in cash.
The law says any winnings over $599 must follow IRS regulations, meaning you're expected to call the IRS yourself if you win.