It was 1:16 p.m. when the lottery jackpot was finally won. 88008 is already the youngest first prize in the history of this draw, sung by Yesica Paola Valencia Gómez and Francisco Moreno Durán and distributed throughout Spain. At that moment, in the Royal Theater of Madrid, the Pope, Captain Spain, the Hot Dog, the Valencian Foxes, the Witch, all rose from their seats to thunderous applause and shouted “Come in of gold!”, a phrase that used in the television show Got Talent when the audience encourages the judges to give approval to an artist. They had waited more than three hours this Friday, December 22nd, after standing in line for more than 16 days in a row to secure a seat in this theater.
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Jaén is one of the cities where the most tenths were distributed. 80 million euros went to the members of the Lola Torres choir and dance association, one of the most traditional folk groups in this Andalusian city. “We are excited because we have only been there for a short time and we have already distributed the Gordo,” said Montse, the lottery operator of this administration based in the city center of the capital Jaén.
Jon Urkiola can't believe it. All morning of this Friday he celebrated like crazy for having sold four of the fifth prizes, the first ones, in his shop in the Artea de Leioa shopping center (Bizkaia). What I didn't expect was that the happiness would go even further. “El Gordo attacked us too, you couldn’t ask for more,” he cheered while accepting hugs and congratulations.
José Vicente had the same feeling after his government's fortune bestowed on El Paraíso in Jerez de la Frontera up to four times. First it was a fifth, then two more and finally El Gordo, of which he sold one series per window. The lottery doesn't know who got it. “Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you,” he says, and then points out: “Whoever buys comes from the neighborhood.” Last year the first prize was also sold. “Thanks to this, we increased our sales,” the lottery says. “We’re on the move,” explains Vicente.
The champagne was uncorked again at 16 Arenal Street in Madrid. “For two years in a row, El Gordo awards and this year additionally two fifth prizes,” said Guillermo Madán (48 years old), one of the seven partners of El Elefante, one of the administrations that received the most sought-after ticket El Elefante was on December 22nd sold. “We have been here for six years and have given out Christmas awards all six years,” he said. “Several days of celebration await us,” predicts Madán, who has started spraying alcohol on curious people and workers at the outlet, located on one of the city's busiest streets.
An employee of the lottery administration at the Carrefour shopping center in Montequinto (Dos Hermanas, Seville) could not contain her emotions when this newspaper confirmed by telephone that she had awarded the first prize. “I don’t know what we sold or to whom. “That’s very strong, don’t ask me anything because I can’t answer,” she said excitedly. “We hit the jackpot, aunt!” she managed to say to one of her companions. In La Sort de Alzira (Valencia) they distributed four million euros of the first prize and two lots of a fifth, 57421. For her manager, Soraya Escolà, it is the best way to celebrate her silver anniversary this year: “20 years ago “We haven't given out a prize at Christmas for years and this year we've already given two.”
María del Mar Montoya is head of the lottery administration of the Copo shopping center in El Ejido (Almería) and sold the second prize 58303. “It's a slot machine, so we don't know who might have won it,” she explained. In 2002, this government already awarded the Gordo de Navidad and El Niño, and in later years a fourth prize: “The truth is that we give happiness.”
“I don't believe it, I have two tenths of the second prize!” cheered Rafael Platero. He bought two tenths of 58303 in administration number 5 in the Madrid city of Fuenlabrada. “I don't plan to do anything special with the money, just have a nice Christmas!” This neighbor is one of the 10 people from Fuenlabrada who won this tenth place. Josefa Rodríguez, owner of this administration for 37 years, still doesn't know. “It’s the first time we’re giving away a Christmas lottery prize,” he says happily. One of her co-workers, Esperanza Madrid, says it fills her with joy that such a big prize has fallen on such a humble neighborhood like this. “Our customers are always the same, very hardworking and very friendly!” he emphasizes.
The fifth early risers
The fifth prizes were the earliest. Lottery experts have calculated with more or less certainty that they left with a difference of 10 minutes to break the initial paralysis that they tried to overcome among the visitors to the Teatro Real hall. One of them, 92023, has fallen into administration at number 13 Carboneros Street in La Línea de la Concepción. “We sold 100 tickets and 10 series,” the lottery operator explained excitedly on the other end of the phone, which was so full of calls that it was cut off. Currently, the administration does not know to whom it distributed the properties, but suspects that they were “to lifelong customers who bought them by tenths” in an administration that will soon turn 100 years old. Dunia Godino can hardly hold back her tears. The administrative assistant El piojo de laluck, also in La Línea de la Concepción, sold 15 series of the fifth prize 01568. Most of the tenths were distributed to the nearby bar Los primos. “Today is going to be a crazy day in La Línea,” the lottery woman exclaims.
José Miguel Delgado is the owner of the lottery office on Sierpes Street, in the heart of Seville, and also handed out a fifth prize, number 01568. “It's a low number and I don't know who we sold it to, probably a tourist,” he explained, saying with some irony that although he was excited, it didn't surprise him. “We don’t know much about it,” he replies, laughing.
Abel Caballero will probably have a different slogan to sell Christmas in Vigo next year. Three fifth prizes fell alongside the tallest Christmas tree in Spain at the Porta do Sol lottery administration in Vigo.
A long train of anecdotes
The draw had to be interrupted twice for a few moments, around 1:00 p.m., to the despair of the participants who were looking forward to the Gordo coming out because the number drum had broken down. The handle of the mechanism that activates the outlet of the balls came loose, requiring an operator to intervene with a screwdriver in his hand. And the two biggest prizes without leaving. After the crank was put back in place, the draw continued.
Also around one o'clock in the afternoon, one of the girls from San Ildefonso, Kiara Román, embodied the long wait like no other, with a face of resignation and a snort as she looked at the ball that determined the prize. She awarded a fifth prize, not the first . One of the images of the day that he shared with three of his companions who saw the balls falling out of their hands as they came out of the bass drum and rolled on the floor of the Teatro Real stage.
With information from Jesús A. Cañas, Eva Saiz, Sergio C. Fanjul, Silvia R. Pontevedra, Mikel Ormazabal, Ginés Donaire, Juan José Martínez, María Fabra and Amanda Rodríguez.