The country's annual Christmas lottery pays out this year $2.2 billion to thousands of winners, but those holding the winning number for the top prize --76058 -- for El Gordo, or"the fat one," reaped the biggest rewards, accordingto Spain's state-run lottery.
The first prize paid $950 million overall, or 43 percent of the total prizes, and most of "El Gordo" waswon by some residents of the historic university town of Alcala de Henares, just east of Madrid, the lottery administration said.
There, in a working class neighborhood with public housing and many immigrants, Spanish media reported that champagne bottles were popping at the lottery office that sold many of the winning tickets.
Spaniards typically buy a share of a ticket, among friends or family, at the local bar or workplace, so the joy was spread around.
Is praying for a lottery win frowned upon? Depends on who you ask
A man in Alcala de Henares bought 10 shares -- an amount known as a"full ticket," and now worth $5.2 million -- and had given them away otherfamily members. One recipient, the father of a young child, said he would try to buy a decent home and a car.
Another winner was a cafe owner who said he'd still probably open for businesson Monday, after going to collect his earnings at the bank, Spanish media reported.
The second biggest prize mostly went to residents in the town of Aranda de Duero, north of Madrid. Numerous towns across thenation also got a piece of the action, and some portions of the top El Gordo prize were sold in 15 Spanish provinces.
But Spain's recession and the unemployment rate that tops 25% clearly had an impact on the lottery intake this year.
