STORY: The sellers of winning tickets also celebrate on Thursday. “El Gordo” is as much a part of the holidays in Spain as reindeer are to Santa Claus. “The fat one”, as the main prize of the traditional lottery is affectionately known, was awarded the lucky number 5490. And it was sold not just once, but many times. A total of 2.52 billion euros were up for grabs this year, which brought blessings and joy to various regions. Here you can see Perla Gavidia, who finds out for herself in Madrid that she has won 400,000 euros. Born in Peru, the mother of two children is currently unemployed. She could hardly believe her luck. “I have 95 tickets in my wallet, but only one of them has the jackpot number.” And then she says that now she has enough money to enable her children to go to university. That is the most important thing. In the draw, which is broadcast nationwide, the winning numbers are sung by school children. The lottery is more than 200 years old, with the rising cost of living in Spain too, its importance has increased in the eyes of many this year. Groups often purchase tickets together, and different denominations are possible. A tenth ticket, for example, is available from as little as 20 euros. According to the Anapal sales association, the Spaniards spend an average of 66.60 euros on El Gordo tickets. Well then, in exactly one year there will definitely be sparkling wine and confetti rain again.