The top prize in Spain’s ‘El Gordo’ Christmas lottery goes to tickets with the number 88008
The top prize in Spain’s ‘El Gordo’ Christmas lottery goes to tickets with the number 88008
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man holds up a Christmas lottery ticket he is selling in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as ‘El Gordo’ or ‘The Fat One’, will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A worker supervises the moment when lottery balls are filled into a drum before the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A lottery seller stands by a queue of people waiting to buy tickets from the Dona Manolita lottery shop, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as El Gordo or The Fat One will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People in costumes wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain,Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A Christmas lottery seller looks for customers in a crowded street in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man dressed in a suit with printed lottery tickets takes a selfie, in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. People are buying last minute Christmas tickets known as El Gordo or The Fat One before the draw that will take place on Friday. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man holds up a Christmas lottery ticket he is selling in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as ‘El Gordo’ or ‘The Fat One’, will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man holds up a Christmas lottery ticket he is selling in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as ‘El Gordo’ or ‘The Fat One’, will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A worker supervises the moment when lottery balls are filled into a drum before the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A worker supervises the moment when lottery balls are filled into a drum before the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A lottery seller stands by a queue of people waiting to buy tickets from the Dona Manolita lottery shop, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as El Gordo or The Fat One will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A lottery seller stands by a queue of people waiting to buy tickets from the Dona Manolita lottery shop, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The traditional Spanish Christmas lottery draw, known as El Gordo or The Fat One will take place on Dec. 22. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People in costumes wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People in costumes wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain,Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain,Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A Christmas lottery seller looks for customers in a crowded street in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A Christmas lottery seller looks for customers in a crowded street in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man dressed in a suit with printed lottery tickets takes a selfie, in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. People are buying last minute Christmas tickets known as El Gordo or The Fat One before the draw that will take place on Friday. (AP Photo/Paul White)
A man dressed in a suit with printed lottery tickets takes a selfie, in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. People are buying last minute Christmas tickets known as El Gordo or The Fat One before the draw that will take place on Friday. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People wait for the start of the draw at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the numbers from one of the main prizes from awarded lottery balls at Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house during Spain’s bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The lottery will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing the top-prize number. The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing. (AP Photo/Paul White)
MADRID (AP) — Lucky holders of 20-euro tickets with the number 88008 will be celebrating Friday. They have each won 400,000 euros ($440,000), or some 325,000 euros after tax, in the top prize of Spain’s huge Christmas lottery.
People across the country tuned into the television, radio and internet from early morning as children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school begin singing out the prize-winning numbers in the lottery known as “EL Gordo” (the fat one).
The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small winnings. Street and bar celebrations normally break out, with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing.
The event is televised nationally from Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house.
Purchasing and sharing tickets, known in Spanish as “décimos” (tenths) in the run-up to Christmas is a major tradition among families, friends, co-workers and in bars and sports and social clubs.
The winning numbers were called out by children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school. The children picked up balls showing ticket numbers and their corresponding prizes from two giant rolling drums. They sang out both figures with a rhythmic cadence that is known to everyone in Spain.
In the weeks beforehand, queues formed outside lottery offices, especially those which had sold prize-winning tickets in the past.
Other lotteries have bigger individual top prizes but Spain’s Christmas lottery, held each year on Dec. 22, is ranked as the world’s richest for the total prize money involved.
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. It also helps several charities.
The Dec. 22 lottery began in 1812. Since the beginning, the San Ildefonso college children have been singing the prizes.