Small town in luck of the draw Spanish lottery "El Gordo" distributes record sum
Never before has so much been at stake: the traditional Christmas lottery "El Gordo" in Spain has paid out a record sum of over 2.5 billion Swiss francs this year. At 11.27 a.m. - a good two hours after the draw began in Madrid's venerable Teatro Real opera house on Sunday morning - it was clear: the top prize of four million euros went to people who had bought their tickets with the lucky number 72,480 in the town of Logroño in the northern Spanish region of La Rioja.
22.12.2024, 17:18
22.12.2024, 17:21
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The world-famous lottery doesn't just ring in Christmas in Spain.
- This time it was about a windfall of around 2.5 billion francs.
- The victims of the storms were not forgotten either.
A sports club from the capital Madrid had also purchased a large number of tickets with this number and sold them to its members, as reported by the Europa Press news agency. The joy in the San Blas-Canillejas district of Madrid was correspondingly great.
"El Gordo" (The Fat One) set a record at 9.17 am: Because never before had the first of eight fifth prizes of 60,000 euros each been drawn so soon after the actual draw began at shortly after 09.00, as the RTVE presenters excitedly reported. "El Gordo" heralds the start of Christmas in Spain and is one of the biggest social events in the country that hardly anyone wants to miss.
Lots of money also goes to people in the storm region
People in the eastern Spanish Mediterranean region of Valencia, which was hit the hardest by the storms on October 29 with 222 deaths and unbelievable destruction, also bought raffle tickets with the number of this first fifth prize, as well as the third prize (500,000 euros). Depending on the type of ticket purchased, they can now expect to receive a share of the money, as reported by Spanish media.
Despite all the excitement and joy, the floods and tidal waves, which were the result of heavy rainfall and cost the lives of a total of 230 people, played a major role in this year's draw.
Traditional costumes from Valencia as a tribute to the flood victims
Among the 400 or so lucky people who managed to get hold of a ticket for the Teatro Real and were able to watch the draw live was a couple dressed in typical costumes from the "Fallas", a well-known folk festival in the Valencia region. They had dressed like this as a "tribute to the victims of Valencia", as they told the RTVE reporter.
Other lottery enthusiasts in the audience wore Christmas hats or even small plastic Christmas trees on their heads, and the costume of a Catholic priest was also visible in the audience. On this sunny but cold morning in Madrid, many people watched the draw, which lasted several hours, at home or with friends in bars. There was also a festive atmosphere outside around the Teatro Real.
Top prize sung twice by mistake
Nerves were also on edge among the "lucky charms", the pupils of the San Ildefonso boarding school in Madrid. Following a tradition, they sing out the lottery number drawn and the amount of the prize in pairs every year - and some of them got it wrong a few times. One girl even accidentally started to announce the main prize of four million euros a second time, but realized her mistake in the middle of the number and stopped - everyone understood.
The lottery, which was launched more than 200 years ago, is considered the oldest in the world and is known as the largest raffle on the planet due to the total amount played out, which increases every year. Most tickets are sold in Spain, but more and more people from abroad are taking part online.