Spain?s huge Christmas lottery spreads riches worth almost ?3bn
Players with winning tickets in Spain?s huge Christmas lottery draw celebrated with sparkling wine, cheers and hugs on Sunday in a 200-year-old tradition that marks the beginning of the festive season.
The total prize pot in the state-run national lottery event reached ?2.71bn (?2.25bn) this year, slightly more than last year?s ?2.59bn
The top prize, known as El Gordo or the Fat One, was won by ticket holders in the northern city of Logro?o, the capital of La Rioja region.
In the nationally televised draw at Madrid?s Theatre Royal, young pupils from San Ildefonso school picked the winning numbers from two revolving globes and sang them out.
View image in fullscreen Schoolchildren call out the winning number of the first prize at the Theatre Royal in Madrid. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Audience members, who had queued for hours to enter, wore Santa hats, regional costumes and their personal lucky charms.
?I?d like the lottery to go to Valencia. Honestly, I think it should go to the affected areas,? said Vicent Jacinto, 25, who was dressed in a traditional Valencian outfit and was referring to the deadly floods that struck the region in October. ?We?d like that very much.?
Lottery mania hits Spain in the weeks leading up to the Christmas draw. Relatives, co-workers, groups of friends and club members frequently buy tickets or fractions of them together, often favouring particular ?lucky? vendors or numbers.
The most common ticket costs ?20 and offers the opportunity to win as much as ?400,000 in prize money before tax.
More than half of Sunday?s top prize, even if bought in Logro?o, travelled back to Madrid because many winning tickets were held by a basketball club in the working-class neighbourhood of San Blas-Canillejas. Young club members and their families gathered to chant and dance to drums as they do on court.
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View image in fullscreen People celebrate in the San Blas-Canillejas neighbourhood in Madrid. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
?I woke up late today and my mother came into my room with the tickets in her hands screaming like crazy,? said Diego Gala, 28, the club?s physical trainer.
The lottery tradition dates back to 1812, when Spain was under French occupation during the Napoleonic wars and the draw was established to raise funds to fight for independence.
These days, proceeds after operating costs and payouts go to social causes.
