Madrid

Spain's traditional Christmas lottery known as 'El Gordo' on Thursday rewarded many winners across several regions.

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The winners of the Christmas lottery include a Peruvian-born unemployed mother of two and a Gambian man who crossed the Mediterranean by boat and eventually reached Spain in 2017.

The first prize in the lottery was awarded to holders of ticket number 05490. The proceeds of this ticket number are $425,000 (€400,000), or around $345,150 (€325,000) after taxes.

The second prize was given to ticket number 04074 and its holders will get around $132,750 (€125,000), according to a report by El Pais on Thursday. The third prize goes to ticket number 45250 and its holders will get around $53,100 (€50,000).

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The Peruvian-born mother, identified as Perla Gavidia, was immediately surrounded by reporters after her ticket number was announced. Gavidia said that she lost her job at a cafe in 2020 and bought 95 tickets, only one of which had the winning number- 05490, news agency Reuters reported.

The woman, standing beside her two children, told reporters that she would spend the proceeds that amount to $425,000 before taxes on buying a new house, educating her children and also making a donation to the Catholic Church.

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In Catalonia, Ibrahim Cante originally from Gambia had ticket number 04074- which was given the second prize in the lottery. A musician by profession, Cante said he would invest the proceeds of $132,750 in a studio, according to the Guardian. He added that this was the first time he bought a lottery ticket since arriving in Spain.

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The total prize money in 'El Gordo' reached $2.67 billion (€2.52 billion) compared to $2.55 billion (€2.41 billion) last year. In a nationally televised lottery draw at the Teatro Real opera house in Madrid on Thursday, young pupils from the San Ildefonso school picked the winning numbers and sang them out to the audience

'El Gordo' has been happening since 1812 when Spain was under French occupation during the Napoleonic Wars. The lottery was designed to raise funds to fight the war.

Ticket sales begin months ahead of the draw and for weeks before the winners are announced, there are long queues outside lottery offices. The lottery holds significance as Spain, like many countries in Europe, faces a cost-of-living crisis and stagnating wages.

(With inputs from agencies)

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