People line up along a street as they wait to buy lottery tickets in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. Spaniards are taking advantage of unusually warm weather.
Spaniards are taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather and a “day of reflection” break in political campaigning ahead of a general election to buy tickets for the world’s richest lottery.
Long lines formed Saturday as people hoped to buy a winning share in Spain’s Christmas lottery, known as El Gordo (the Fat One), which will hand out 2.24 billion euros ($2.43 billion).
It’s estimated that three-quarters of Spain’s 46 million people will take part in Tuesday’s lottery.
The Yuletide tradition dates to 1812. The drawing is broadcast nationally, gluing hope-filled Spaniards to radio and TV sets for hours as winning numbers are called out.
Unlike lotteries offering one large jackpot, El Gordo keeps the top prize at 400,000 euros ($435,000), enabling thousands of ticket-holders to be winners.
[Source:-abc news]