Lotto fever grips Spain as thousands share in holiday jackpot
Last Updated: Monday, December 22, 2008 | 1:02 PM ET
CBC News
Jubilation was mixed with disbelief in parts of Spain on Monday as news spread that just under 2,000 tickets would share the top prize in El Gordo, one of the most lucrative lottery jackpots in the world.
Each first-place ticket — with the winning number of 32365 — was worth € 300,000 or $510,000 Cdn. The 1,950 tickets with the top prize number were sold in seven of Spain's 52 provinces.
El Gordo’s jackpot hit € 2.32 Euros or $3.95 billion, with thousands of other tickets sharing runner-up prizes.
As the lottery announcement began in the morning, people throughout the country logged online and tuned in to radio and television to see if their number had been selected.
Instead of being spoken, the winning numbers were announced live on television by a Madrid choir singing in Gregorian Chant.
Holds 15 third-place tickets
"I'm still shaking," said Ricardo Jimenez, who learned he was holding 15 third-place winning tickets.
Jimenez’s bar in Soria, Spain — about 180 km northwest of the capital Madrid — sold all 1,950 of the third-place tickets worth an estimated € 97 million or $165 million.
“I'll keep on working. I'll share this with my three children," Jiminez said.
Television images showed him being showered with sparking wine by celebrating clients.
El Gordo, which means the Fat One, has become a Christmas tradition in the country since its creation in 1912.
Four out of five Spanish residents purchased tickets in the lottery and a total of 13,000 cash prizes were drawn, all of them tax-free, the BBC reported. Tickets were also sold online in 140 countries around the world.
With files from the Associated Press
