3 quarters of Spain played El Gordo Christmas lottery

World Today

Thousands of people are richer across Spain now thanks to Tuesday’s wildly popular El Gordo lottery drawing.

CCTV’s Dan Williams reports from Madrid.

Nearly two and a half billion dollars in prize money was awarded. It’s the world’s largest lottery drawing.

The odds of winning at least something are high. With a one in six chance of winning at least some prize, coupled with the holiday season, participation is high in the drawing. On average, each person buying tickets will spend more than sixty Euros.

And the Spanish government wins as well. With a tax of around 20 percent applied to the winnings, it is said to be rare that winners complain about having to pay the Spanish government this share of the money.