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Big winners in Spanish lottery
Economic woes eased for many in Spain on Monday as the Christmas lottery — billed among the world’s richest — dished out some $3.23 billion in prizes.
Economic woes eased for many in Spain on Monday as the Christmas lottery — billed among the world’s richest — dished out some $3.23 billion in prizes.
The top prize of the lottery dubbed El Gordo (The Fat One) went to holders of tickets bearing the number 32365. The winning number appears on 1,950 tickets, each of which wins $418,000.
The number was sung out at just after noon on Monday by pupils of Madrid’s Saint Ildefonso School in a nationally televised draw held each December 22.
Rather than a single jackpot, the lottery aims for a share-out in which thousands of numbers yield at least some kind of return. Since it began in 1812, the Christmas lottery has become a favourite holiday tradition. This year, it sold an estimated $3.90 billion nationwide — nearly 3 percent down on last year.
The lottery starts at 9 am and people throughout the country typically tune into the radio, television or Internet to find out if their number is called for one of the prizes.
The 1,950 tickets with the top prize number were sold across seven of Spain’s 52 provinces.
The state lottery agency estimates per capita spending of about $92) on the Gordo this year, down about 1 euro from 2007. Seventy per cent goes back out in prizes, and 30 per cent goes to the state.
