Spaniards rejoice as ‘The Fat One’ lottery winners revealed

MADRID (Reuters) – Thrilled Spaniards sang, cheered and celebrated with cava bubbly throughout the country on Friday as the Christmas lottery draw known as “El Gordo” (The Fat One) dished out prizes in a centuries-old tradition that kicks off the holiday season. Considered the world’s largest draw by the total prize pot, this year’s edition reached 2.59 billion euros ($2.85 billion), 70 million euros more than last year. Many Spaniards club together with family, friends or co-workers to buy tickets. The top prize, worth 400,000 euros this year, was distributed among many people who had bought the winning number, 88008. In this lottery, there can be several tickets with the same number sold to different groups. In the Teatro Real…