Spain's Huge Christmas Lottery Offers Distraction From Virus

Workers prepare numbered lottery balls at Madrid's Teatro Real opera house during Spain's bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. The draw, held annually since 1812, will dish out a total of 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in prizes this year. People can queue for hours in the days running up to the lottery to snatch their 20-euro tickets from the most popular vendors. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

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By Associated Press

December 22, 2021 at 8:47 AM UTC

Updated on

December 22, 2021 at 12:38 PM UTC

Madrid (AP) -- Spaniards looking for a respite from the pandemic’s gloom and doom turned their attention Wednesday to a rite that for more than two centuries has marked the beginning of the festive period: the country’s bumper Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” or “The Fat One.”

The draw, held annually since 1812, dished out a total of