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Spain’s Christmas lottery has been welcomed as an “injection of hope” in the country’s northwest, with jackpots worth hundreds of millions of euros being handed out just months after wildfires caused devastation.
Most of the first-prize tickets, known as “El Gordo,” are purchased by people in small towns in the province of Leon.
A single ticket, or décimo, which costs €20 (£17) and has the winning number printed on it (in this case 79432) is worth €400,000 (£349,484). Décimo is 10 strips, and when many strips of the same number are sold to a group of neighbors or colleagues, it is possible to win a huge jackpot.
€468m (£409m) was shared among the people of the town of La Banessa.
Recipients include members of a local football club in the town, which has a population of about 11,000.
Forest fires swept through Leon four months ago, burning 8,000 hectares (31 square miles) of land around La Banessa and killing a local man, 35-year-old Abel Ramos.
Spain’s sparsely populated and densely forested northwest is accustomed to wildfires, although the region has been particularly hard hit during this record-breaking year. Firefighters spent much of August battling blazes in Leon and the neighboring region of Galicia, which burned 0.8% of the country’s total area during the summer.
The town mayor, Javier Carrera, told Spanish media that the lottery win “means an injection of excitement and hope for La Bañesa.” Carrera also noted that a local sugar beet factory closed this year, leaving dozens of people unemployed.
Villablino, another town in León province badly affected by summer fires, also received a huge bonus, receiving €200m (£175m).
“We need some good news,” Mayor Mario Rivas said.
In addition to the fires, five local men were killed in two mining disasters near Asturias this year.
“This doesn’t make up for the loss of our friend’s life, but it shows us that there may be good news,” Rivas said.
Most of Villaflino’s winning tickets are sold by the local Alzheimer’s Society.
In addition, the town of La Pola de Gordón, also located in León and with a population of 3,000, also shared 60 million euros. The €64 million jackpot also went to a working-class area of Madrid.
In Villablino, Maribel Martín won one of the prizes, worth €400,000 (£349,484). While she was out shopping for groceries, her son called her to tell her the good news.
“We are really depressed, €200 million is a great thing,” she said
She knew exactly what she wanted to do with the winnings. “Spread the word and enjoy life,” she said.
