Liam Kirkaldy (Reporter)
THE largest lottery in history has been won in part by groups of friends and families in Jaen, in southern Spain.
No less than two shares in the winning El Gordo ticket – 62246 – went to towns in one of the poorest provinces in Spain.
In total there are 15 winners in the south, with towns including Bailen and Huelma in Jaen and Sanlucar La Mayor, in Sevilla, each receiving €400,000.
One in three Spaniards took part in the famous El Gordo lottery, drawn this morning.
The prizes – which reached €2,240 million in total – were drawn by pupils from The College of San Ildefonso, according to El Gordo tradition.
Leganes, near Madrid, and Modragan, in the north, also had winners with shares in the lucky number.
The number 79712 came second in the draw, with a prize of €1,250,000 to be divided among those with shares – with each likely receiving around €125,000.
For the first time, winnings of more than €2,500 will be subject to a 20% government tax.
El Gordo sales account for nearly half of all lottery tickets sold in the year.
The El Gordo lottery sees the greatest odds of all the large draws of ticket-purchasers holding a winning number, and although the prize money is substantial to the average person, it is not a ‘life-changing’ amount – it is more likely to be a few thousand than several million, the idea being that with lower prizes, more people get the chance to win something.
