The drawing is underway in Spain for the world’s biggest lottery payoff, a 2.2 billion euros (HK$21 billion) pot of cash that will be divided among thousands of ticketholders.
Spaniards will be glued to their televisions as the country’s annual Christmas lottery, are announced in a program that often lasts four hours Monday.
The generous lottery offers some 15,000 prizes, including 4 million-euro top prize known as “El Gordo”, which litreally means the “fat one”.
A majority of the winners can win between 200 euros and 1,000 euros.
The total prize money is considered the world’s largest in by winnings. But unlike lotteries that offer one large jackpot, Spain’s Christmas season lottery distributes winnings to thousands.
Anticipation has built up long before the draw, as millions across the country have been queuing up for hours outside lottery offices and authorised outlets to buy tickets in recent weeks.