Spain kicks off festive period with world’s richest lottery

The El Gordo Christmas lottery, the world’s richest, will hand out over €2.5 billion euros in prizes today.

The top prize, known as ‘El Gordo’ or ‘The Fat One’, is four hundred thousand euros.

The lottery draw features children from the San Ildefonso school singing out the winning numbers and lasts around four hours, bringing Spain to a virtual standstill. Tickets, called ‘decimos’, are purchased and shared among families, friends, co-workers, and in bars and social clubs.

The Christmas lottery has been held since eighteen ninety-two, uninterrupted even during the Spanish Civil War.