Spain's 'El Gordo' lottery announced the lucky winning numbers Monday.
Hundreds of lucky ticket holders are celebrating in Spain after winning a share of the annual Christmas lottery known as El Gordo, or the Fat One.
The world’s biggest Christmas lottery, this year’s total prize money came to over 2.2 billion euros. Winning tickets came from across the country, including Valencia, Cadiz and Madrid.
Daniel Morales, 43, was celebrating his win this afternoon in Madrid.
“We were working in the office and suddenly people began to scream. At the beginning we could not believe it, but then, yes, it was true.”
Morales says he already knows how he’ll spend the money. “First I am going to pay the mortgage and the rest I am going to invest in my children’s education.”
Blanco also had a winning ticket. “I don’t know [what I’ll do with it], I don’t know. I still cannot believe it. Once I have it [in my hands] I will know.”
Thirty-six-year-old restaurant manager Lara bought several tickets with her colleagues. “The restaurant’s staff called me. We have shared the prize. We have fifteen numbers and we have shared them among 40 workers.”
Millions of people tuned in to watch the draw, televised from Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house. As is traditional, the winning numbers were sung by a choir of twenty-two local school children.