Spain’s world-famous “El Gordo” Christmas lottery organizers started broadcasting the draw from the Teatro Actual opera home in Madrid on Sunday morning, with winnings totalling greater than €2.7 billion ($2.8 billion) up for grabs.
As per custom, pupils from Madrid’s San Ildefonso boarding college began singing the primary successful numbers.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE is exhibiting the sometimes hours-long occasion dwell, within the presence of round 400 spectators, it stated. Thousands and thousands are anticipated to comply with the occasion on tv.
Many of the lottery tickets are bought in Spain however an rising variety of foreigners are taking part on-line.
The lottery, established greater than 200 years in the past, is taken into account the oldest on the planet. As a result of whole prize cash, which will increase yearly, it’s known as the most important raffle on the planet.
The highest prize, referred to as “El Gordo” (the Fats One), quantities to €4 million for a full ticket. This 12 months, it is going to be paid out 193 instances – eight instances greater than final 12 months, and as many instances as every of the 100,000 ticket numbers is bought.
The whole prize cash represents 70% of this 12 months’s gross sales income of €3.86 billion.
The draw makes use of two lottery drums. The primary, bigger drum comprises 100,000 wood balls with the ticket numbers and the second comprises about 1,800 wood balls with the prize quantities.
Through the draw, two balls all the time fall concurrently from the 2 drums right into a glass bowl. The ceremony lasts at the least round three hours as many smaller prizes are additionally awarded.
