There were some cheerful faces in Mijas Pueblo thanks to El Gordo

150 DECIMOS (tenths) of El Gordo lottery tickets have won a sizeable amount for lucky purchasers in Mijas Pueblo.

The lottery outlet in Calle de los Caños in the Pueblo sold 150 decimos (equivalent to 15 full tickets) each with the number 28674 which means that lucky purchasers in Mijas Pueblo will collect a total of €900,000 between them with little chance of paying tax as each tenth will be

Below the tax threshold.

The Annual Christmas Lottery in Spain is treated as a real spectacular with children singing out the numbers as the El Gordo (Fat One) draw is broadcast on TV with a large audience present (subject this year to social distancing) in Madrid’s Teatro Real.

This year, prize money had increased to €2.4 billion with the first prize number 72897 worth €4 million but unlike many lotteries around the world, there isn’t just one prize winning ticket but there will be thousands and, in this case, tickets with this number were distributed across Spain (whereas sometimes a particular region has one number exclusively.

Holders live in Madrid, Alcampo de Moratalaz; in Huelva, in Reus, Granada, León, Bilbao, O Grove, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Alicante, Caceres, Cadiz, Cordoba, Las Palmas, Murcia, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Valencia and Zamora so there is a good spread of luck this year.

Although profits from the lottery go to the Government, from 2013, they introduced taxation on winnings over €2,500 but for this draw, you may win up to €40,000 before paying 20 per cent tax, so if you hold the entire winning ticket from the €4 million you have won, you will pay €720,000 in tax!

Each ticket is divided into 10 pieces (decimos) and for each tenth you own, you receive a tenth of prize value but the lottery is quite generous with second price worth €1.25 million, third prize €500,000, fourth prize €200,000 and a host of €60,000 prizes of which one has been secured in Mijas Pueblo.

Overall sales this year are down across the country as alone some will want to take the risk of spending with the hope of winning a big prize, others will simply not have had the money spare following the number of layoffs, especially in the hospitality industry.

If you weren’t lucky in El Gordo, then there is still a chance to go for another large lottery, this one known as El Niño (the little one) where there is €700 million as prizes and this draw takes place on January 6 (Epiphany), the day after the visit of the Three Kings bearing gifts.

History buffs will be interested to know that the first Christmas lottery in Spain took place in December 1812 in order to try to raise funds to buy bullets and arms in order to fight Napoleon’s troops were besieging the Andalucian city of Cadiz.

Originally confined to Andalucia, it spread to the rest of Spain and the organisation moved to Madrid which is where the National Lottery is managed from, to this day.

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “There were some cheerful faces in Mijas Pueblo thanks to El Gordo”.