Every year at Christmas, Spaniards go lottery mad, queuing for hours to buy tickets for the famous Christmas lottery and this year it is bigger than ever. Photo: AFPWith the odds of winning at least something put at one in six, no wonder the Christmas lottery has a whole nation gripped. According to the latest stats, some 75.9 percent of the 34 million Spanish residents aged between 18 and 75 play the Spanish Christmas lottery. The first Christmas lottery took place on 22nd December 1812 in Cádiz and the event has been taking place on the same day every year since. Not even the Spanish Civil War could stop the Christmas lottery, which moved to Valencia when the Republican government had to relocate their capital from Madrid.

Source: The Local December 09, 2019 00:56 UTC