Big winners of world's biggest lottery, which splits €2.5bn jackpot among thousands of ticketholders, based in working-class towns
Winners of Spain's cherished 200 year-old Christmas lottery were celebrating across the country on Sunday – a rare moment of joy and relief at the close of another year of brutal financial crisis.
Known affectionately as "El Gordo" (the fat one), Spain's yuletide jackpot is the world's biggest. Millions were glued to their televisions on Sunday, watching €2.5bn (£2.09bn) in prize money being distributed during a four-hour live show.
Unlike lotteries that offer one large cashprize, Spain's yuletide drawing sprinkles a variety of winnings on thousands of ticketholders. The top prize draw delivered lucky winners 400,000 euros (£334,600) on Sunday.
The big winners were concentratred in two working-class towns – one suburb outside Madrid and another in the Basque region hit hard by a round of layoffs. The towns' combined winnings came in at 540m euros (£450m).
Mondragon, the site of Spain's biggest consumer appliance company Fagor, recently had to lay off more than 2,000 people as part of insolvency proceedings.
"We've been in the press for so many unpleasant reasons, and for something which brings such joy to happen here is a real support for the people," Jose Maria Garai, one of the officially designated ticket sellers in Mondragon, told Spanish television.
Only, this year for the first time, the tax man will claim 20% of winnings above 2,500 euros (£2,100), as the Spanish government strives to right an economy saddled with a sky-high unemployment rate of 26%.
El Gordo winner Raul Clavero, 27, a mechanic living in the Madrid suburb of Leganes, said he had been watching the drawing in bed when he realised he had won. "We jumped out of bed and ran out," he said, adding that he would "pay the mortgage, that's the first thing, and then just enjoy the rest." Clavero said he was one of five members of his family who had bought the same number ticket. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 minutes ago.
Winners of Spain's cherished 200 year-old Christmas lottery were celebrating across the country on Sunday – a rare moment of joy and relief at the close of another year of brutal financial crisis.
Known affectionately as "El Gordo" (the fat one), Spain's yuletide jackpot is the world's biggest. Millions were glued to their televisions on Sunday, watching €2.5bn (£2.09bn) in prize money being distributed during a four-hour live show.
Unlike lotteries that offer one large cashprize, Spain's yuletide drawing sprinkles a variety of winnings on thousands of ticketholders. The top prize draw delivered lucky winners 400,000 euros (£334,600) on Sunday.
The big winners were concentratred in two working-class towns – one suburb outside Madrid and another in the Basque region hit hard by a round of layoffs. The towns' combined winnings came in at 540m euros (£450m).
Mondragon, the site of Spain's biggest consumer appliance company Fagor, recently had to lay off more than 2,000 people as part of insolvency proceedings.
"We've been in the press for so many unpleasant reasons, and for something which brings such joy to happen here is a real support for the people," Jose Maria Garai, one of the officially designated ticket sellers in Mondragon, told Spanish television.
Only, this year for the first time, the tax man will claim 20% of winnings above 2,500 euros (£2,100), as the Spanish government strives to right an economy saddled with a sky-high unemployment rate of 26%.
El Gordo winner Raul Clavero, 27, a mechanic living in the Madrid suburb of Leganes, said he had been watching the drawing in bed when he realised he had won. "We jumped out of bed and ran out," he said, adding that he would "pay the mortgage, that's the first thing, and then just enjoy the rest." Clavero said he was one of five members of his family who had bought the same number ticket. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 minutes ago.