It’s all about balls here in Spain today – lottery balls, but more specifically the El Gordo. The annual Christmas draw takes place today, starting at 9am in Madrid at the Teatro Real, where children of San Ildefonso school sing the numbers out. Initially it is quite cute, but after three hours….

2,240 million euros will be given out in prizes, which amounts to 70% of the ticket sales. The first prize will be sharing a €640 million jackpot, meaning that each “decimo” – or €20 ticket will win €400,000! The Province of Alicante has had a fairly good track record, scooping the jackpot twenty times in the draws 203 year history.

Lottery shop number 1, located on Calle Santo Domingo – Tapas Alley, has seen a marked increase in sales since moving location this year from a nearby side street. The lottery shop in Alfaz, which last Friday sold the winning €83 million Euromillions ticket saw a massive increase in sales over the weekend since the win… good luck to everyone – and remember, it’s not about the money, well ok it is really!