Spanish town reaches deal to share El Gordo jackpot after ticket error

Lottery office staff celebrate selling a winning ticket for the Spanish El Gordo Christmas draw. Photo: dpa

A small town in northern Spain has reached a compromise after a ticket sales error threatened to leave some winners of the country’s iconic Christmas lottery empty handed.

Spanish media reported on Saturday that everyone holding a ticket with the winning number of the main prize, called El Gordo (The Fat One), will now receive almost their full winnings.

Celebrations in Villamanin, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents, on Monday over winnings totalling almost €35 million (US$41.2 million) turned to horror and anger just a few days later.

The local festival committee in the town inadvertently sold more shares in official lottery tickets than it had actually bought – a mistake that meant that some “lucky” ticket holders risked receiving little or nothing from the shared payout.

A ball is released from the drum during the El Gordo Christmas draw in Madrid on Monday. Photo: Reuters
A ball is released from the drum during the El Gordo Christmas draw in Madrid on Monday. Photo: Reuters

To resolve the issue, the festival committee agreed to forgo part of its own winnings, while individual ticket holders also accepted slightly reduced payouts.

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