Excitement as Spain's El Gordo lottery is drawn
570 views · Published 27 December 2018 · 2:28 · Indexed 7 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(22 Dec 2018) Holders of the ticket number 03347 struck it rich on Saturday when they won the top prize in Spain's bumper Christmas lottery. The lottery, known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, dished out 2.4 billion euros (2.7 billion US dollars) in prize-money this year. The top prize for a winning ticket is 400,000 euros (455,000 US dollars), but there are many smaller prizes. The number that was paired with the top prize had been sold in various points across Spain. Other lotteries have bigger individual top prizes but El Gordo, held each year on 22 December, is ranked as the world's biggest in terms of total prize-money. Children from Madrid's San Ildefonso school called out the prizes on a nationally televised draw at Madrid's Teatro Real opera house. Many of those who attended the draw in person were donning Christmas-inspired outfits. People buy lottery tickets, which cost 20 euros (22 US dollars) each, for months in advance. Following the draw has become a winter holiday tradition in Spain, with people glued to television sets, radios and the internet where newspaper websites give a running commentary. Spain established its national lottery as a charity in 1763, during the reign of King Carlos III. Its objective later became to shore up state coffers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/53a21dc8a11d694dd11299de6e2ab6d1
