Overview

• Spain's Christmas lottery, known as 'El Gordo' (The Fat One), is distributing a total of 2.6 billion euros ($2.86bn) in prizes this year.
• The top prize, won by holders of 20-euro tickets with the number 88008, is 400,000 euros ($440,000).
• The lottery is a major tradition in Spain, with tickets often shared among families, friends, and social clubs.
• Children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school sing out the prize-winning numbers in a nationally televised event from Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house.
• Established as a charity in 1763, Spain's national lottery is now the world's richest in terms of total prize money.