MADRID, – Gamers with successful tickets in Spain’s enormous Christmas lottery draw on Sunday celebrated with glowing wine, cheers and hugs in a 200-year-old custom that marks the start of the Christmas season.
The whole prize pot within the state-run Nationwide Lottery occasion reached 2.71 billion euros this yr, barely greater than final yr’s 2.59 billion euros.
The highest prize, often called “El Gordo” , was received within the northern metropolis of Logrono, capital of La Rioja area that’s famed for its wines.
Within the nationally televised draw at Madrid’s Teatro Actual, younger pupils from San Ildefonso faculty picked the successful numbers from two revolving globes and sang them out.
The viewers, who had queued for hours to enter, wore Santa hats, regional costumes and their private fortunate charms.
“I might just like the lottery to go to Valencia. Actually, I feel it ought to go to the affected areas. We would like that very a lot,” mentioned 25-year-old Vicent Jacinto, wearing a standard Valencian fallas go well with and referring to lethal floods that struck the area in October.
Lottery mania hits Spain within the weeks main as much as the Christmas lottery. Relations, co-workers, teams of mates and membership members often purchase tickets or fractions of them collectively, typically favouring specific “fortunate” distributors or numbers.
The commonest ticket prices 20 euros, providing as much as 400,000 euros in prize cash, earlier than taxes.
The lottery custom dates again to 1812, when Spain was underneath French occupation throughout the Napoleonic Wars and the draw aimed to boost funds to combat for independence.
Nowadays, proceeds after working prices and payouts are given to social causes.
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