The South Central Health and Fitness Lottery prizes netted a loss of about $8,000 said South Central Health District Foundation co-ordinator Gail Mehler.

The $8,000 loss will be shared between the South Central Health District Foundation and the Weyburn Red Wings. In all, 5,148 of the 10,000 tickets were sold, much less than anticipated.

"It's been a bit of a struggle to conclude the lottery on a positive note, but we are well positioned in case we decide to do this again next year," said South Central Health District Foundation co-ordinator Gail Mehler. "I think we are all a little bit disappointed considering the hours of work that went into the project, but we realize it could have been worse."

The Weyburn Red Wings hockey club were counting on a $25,000 profit to pay for operating costs for the remainder of the season.

"Now we have to find the money to cover the lost revenue we expected to have," said Red Wing president Ken Kot. "This definitely puts us in a real financial crunch for us to finish the year. We will have to see if there is enough money to keep the team going."

On an ongoing basis, the Red Wing organization has to pay for items like bus travel, billet expenses and ice time at the Colosseum.