The Queen of Hearts game at Outsider tavern continues to rule over downtown Waterloo every Tuesday evening, though no player had a chance to find the elusive winning card this week.

The announcement that this week’s drawing was canceled came Monday evening via a Facebook post from Outsider, explaining the postponement was due to rain and thunderstorms expected Tuesday.

At the most recent drawing on Dec. 6, the pot grew by $159,759, bringing the total prize amount past the $1 million mark at $1,052,545.

With the game now reaching the seven-figure jackpot, Outsider and Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic School – which receives some proceeds from the drawing – announced that no new player registrations  will be accepted.

As the amount of money in the pot has grown, so too has the crowd. What used to be a full Outsider parking lot and some onlookers across the street has become a throng covering the area of Market Street between Mill and Third streets every Tuesday.

For some of the volunteers, just selling the thousands of tickets has become close to a full-time job. In fact, handling the barrel that holds the player tickets now requires two people to turn. 

Many individuals – quite a few from outside Waterloo – arrive several hours in advance of the 7 p.m. drawing to spend the last few hours of afternoon light around the tavern.

And as many come early, many leave early, with the crowd dispersing in just about every direction after the number is picked and another non-winning card is drawn. 

A line of vehicles regularly stretches from the intersection of Route 3 and Park Street past Morrison-Talbott Library, almost reaching Church Street shortly after 7 p.m. on recent Tuesdays.

But even with such a massive crowd, Waterloo Police Chief Jeff Prosise said Tuesday evenings have been relatively smooth in just about every area.

Litter, he said, is largely taken care of even as trash cans get filled well past the brim, and the dispersal of the crowd hasn’t proven to be too much of a problem with police closing and overseeing the roads as they are.

While there have been a couple of minor accidents as people try to drive out of downtown, Prosise said no major damage has currently been reported – though there have been issues with individuals parking outside of designated parking areas.

“Parking is our main complaint,” Prosise said. “We haven’t had any issues with, you know, people fighting or anything like that. It’s been a good crowd.”

Just as people come to participate in the drawing, they also come to eat and drink in downtown Waterloo, with many businesses seeing a boost in sales on Tuesdays.

Most obvious among these businesses is the game host. Outsider owner Donovan Melican said Tuesdays have provided a major increase in sales that tends to continue throughout the week.

“It’s a great event for us. We sell more beer on Tuesday than we do any other day of the week nowadays. Actually, the crowd that it brings, it’s continued all week long. They’re coming in on Mondays and Wednesdays and Thursdays, and people from out of town are coming in on Saturdays and Sundays,” he said.

Other businesses have also seen an impact. 

Happy Hour Sports Bar at 117 N. Main Street was previously closed on Tuesdays but has started opening its doors for the Queen of Hearts crowd.

Uncle John’s RRR Bar at 141 S. Main Street has responded to this major influx of customers by adjusting its kitchen to serve hot-and-ready burgers and fries instead of a full menu to accommodate hungry game players in a timely manner.

While he suspects there might be some more trash here and there, Matthew Schweizer of Hopskeller Brewing Company at 116 E. Third Street has mostly good things to say about the amount of business he’s seen thanks to Queen of Hearts.

“It’s been overwhelmingly positive for us,” Schweizer said. “Of course it’s very busy, but we have the staff available to make that as smooth of a process as possible. It’s just an amazing influx of business. I hope this goes ‘til St. Patrick’s Day, frankly.”

The game will continue with its ever-growing jackpot next Tuesday. A total of 17 cards remain on the board.

Tuesday morning, game organizers announced the Dec. 20 drawing would be the last for 2022.

A post on the Waterloo Queen of Hearts Facebook page also noted “there will be no ticket sales until Jan 7, with the next drawing being held on Jan 17. Please understand that all our volunteers and workers need this time off to spend with their families over the holidays.”

Tickets are sold for $1 a piece anytime Outsider, located at 104 S. Market Street, is open.

If no winner is found by the time the total prize reaches $2 million, player numbers will be drawn until the Queen is chosen on the game board. The $2 million maximum jackpot was established by city ordinance years ago.

If the winner of the jackpot is not in attendance, half of the final prize will be used to begin the next Queen of Hearts game. 

The current game began with 50 percent of the prior game’s jackpot.

If the winner is present when the Queen is found, the next game will start from scratch. 

The Queen of Hearts began six years ago as a way to benefit SPPCS sports programs. The 20 percent of prize money is now deposited into the school’s general fund.