Glenn Wickman
LUCK has finally smiled on Gandia (Valencia) this week after a year to forget for everyone.
The Christmas El Gordo lottery left €43.7 million in the La Safor district capital on Tuesday, after 35 series of the second prize landed in the Playa de Gandia area.
When the number was sung out by the famous San Ildefonso schoolchildren in Madrid, as has been the yearly tradition in Spain since 1771, the streets of the Valencian town exploded with joy as bottles of champagne were popped open and celebratory hugs – with masks – left by far the happiest scene in the area all year.
In fact, this year’s El Gordo has been especially kind to the Valencian Community, with 34 towns claiming part of the main prizes.
Of these, Valencia province celebrated the arrival of €61.2 million, with Gandia at the top of the list.
In Alicante, the figure was even higher, as local lottery offices throughout the province shared out over €64 million in towns including Pinoso, Crevillent, Alicante city and Callosa del Segura.
Castellon province, on the other hand, missed out on most of the action and only managed to claim €132,000 shared out among several tickets sold in the capital, Vinaros, Onda and Rosell.
With regards to Spain as a whole, the big winners this year were Punta Umbria in Huelva and Granada (Andalucia) and Reus (Catalunya), where most tickets of the first prize were sold for winning number 72,897.
Three Valencian residents have also become millionaires thanks to this number, with winners in Xabia (Alicante), Oliva and Alfara del Patriarca (Valencia).
All eyes are now on the El Niño draw, which takes place every year on January 6.
