$4 Billion Lottery Prize Split Thousands Of Ways In Spain

It is an amount so big, it’s almost obscene. While Canadian lottery winners dream of taking in jackpots in the multi-million dollar range, imagine sharing in this: a prize worth Cdn$4 billion.

That’s the final award in the world’s biggest lottery jackpot, fittingly called El Gordo (or the “Fat One” in Spanish.) Millions enter the expensive contest every year, desperately hoping for a share of the super pot.

And some weren’t disappointed. Nearly two thousand winners shared in the top payouts with half a million dollars each. The winning number, in case you’re superstitious and looking for a new favourite combo, was 32365. That brought 1,950 ticket holders Cdn.$509,000 apiece for their investment.

Thousands of others won runner-up prizes.

In Canada, merchants are rewarded for selling the winning ducat. But in the town of Sofia, the vendor got more than his just reward. And consider the odds of this: a bar sold all 1,950 of the third place tickets, a fact that set up a celebration in the pub that may well last into next week.

The owner was showered with sparkling wine as friends, relatives and patrons cashed in big time to the tune of $165 million, divided amongst the winners.

Richard Jimenez was more than just a seller. The tavern proprietor bought 15 tickets of his own and won Cdn$1.3 million for his efforts. He claims he’s still shaking just pondering the odds.

The top 1,950 top prizes were divided fairly evenly over the country’s 52 provinces.

El Gordo has become a Christmas tradition in the nation, dating back to 1812. The money is split 70 per cent for winners and 30 per cent for the state. And with that much cash at stake, the government reaps more than a small fortune.

But the winning is just beginning. The next big Spanish lottery is held January 6th, a contest known as “El Nino” named after the Baby Jesus.

The El Gordo is unlike most lotteries you’ll find anywhere else in the world. Find out the odd way it works here.