"When the village of La Baneza in Castilla y Leon was engulfed in one of the worst forest fires in Spanish history, the rain came too late to save it. But now the Christmas lottery has showered its 10,000 inhabitants with hundreds of millions of euros. Villagers in nearby Villablino, where five local men were killed in a mining accident last March, also bought the winning ticket and are in line for a multimillion-euro windfall."
"The fires that raged out of control around La Baneza in August destroyed 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres) of woodland, killed three people and displaced a further 8,000. Javier Carrera, the mayor of La Baneza, said Monday's win has produced a cascade of emotions after such a terrible year. Winning the lottery, as well as cause for joy and excitement, is something that has fallen from the heavens to a place that needs so much, Carrera said."
"El Gordo, or the fat one, as the Christmas lottery is known, consists of 100,000 numbers, each repeated in 198 series with each series divided into decimos, or tenths. Thus each number is repeated 1,980 times. Each decimo costs 20 and the winning number pays out 400,000 (349,000) for each decimo. A total of 117 series were sold in La Baneza, equal to 468m to be shared among its inhabitants."
La Baneza, a village of 10,000 in Castilla y Leon, burned in one of Spain's worst forest fires that destroyed 55,000 hectares, killed three people and displaced 8,000. Villablino, nearby, lost five local men in a mining accident last March. The Christmas lottery El Gordo has awarded hundreds of millions of euros to tickets bought in both places, with 117 series sold in La Baneza equal to 468m to be shared among inhabitants. Each decimo costs 20 and the winning number pays out 400,000 for each decimo. The draw is announced by children from San Ildefonso school and local superstition links tragedy with subsequent luck.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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