The World - News from Dec. 23, 1987
The drawing of numbers for Spain’s annual Christmas lottery ushered in the holiday season with a record $745 million in prizes. The first prize of $2.2 million, popularly known as “El Gordo (the fat one),” went to members of the “We Want a Fiesta” club in the eastern city of Alicante, the Spanish news agency EFE said. The second-prize of $1.1 million went to the residents of Soria, 148 miles north of Madrid. State-run television and radio and most private radio networks carried live broadcasts of the lottery. Money won in the lottery is tax-free, since the national treasury takes its 30% cut before the drawing for prizes is held. Tickets cost $22.70 for individual numbers and $227 for a series.
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