The World’s Largest Lottery Has Just Drawn Its Winners

Carol Kuruvilla

The lucky winners of Spain’s Christmas lottery celebrated on Friday as they eagerly awaited receiving their share of the 2.4 billion euro, or $2.8 billion, prize.

The annual lottery, which has been a holiday tradition in the country since 1812, offers the largest pool of total lottery prize money in the world, The Associated Press reports. The top prize, called El Gordo (“the Fat One”), was about $470,000 this year, and smaller amounts will be distributed to other winners.

Olivia Muina and her son and daughter, Elena and Javier Castroverde, owners of one of the lottery kiosks that sold the winning number of the biggest prize of Spain's Christmas Lottery, celebrate in Madrid on Friday.  (Photo: Susana Vera / Reuters)
Olivia Muina and her son and daughter, Elena and Javier Castroverde, owners of one of the lottery kiosks that sold the winning number of the biggest prize of Spain's Christmas Lottery, celebrate in Madrid on Friday.  (Photo: Susana Vera / Reuters)

The lottery system is complex, and prizes are usually shared among a large number of people. Each ticket costs about $237, so families, friends and co-workers tend to invest together. A $24 décimo, which amounts to about one-tenth of a ticket, is particularly popular.

Each ticket comes with a five-digit number. Sellers are assigned specific numbers they can use, and each number can be repeated up to 165 times, The Local reports. That means that it’s common for many people from the same town to win all at once ― since they’ve often bought tickets from the same seller.

The winning number this year was 71198, children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school announced on national television Friday morning. Several winning tickets were sold in Vilalba, in northwest Spain, according to the BBC. The city of Malaga in southern Spain was also a big winner.

People who bought winning tickets in Spain's Christmas Lottery celebrate in Vilalba on Friday.  (Photo: Miguel Vidal / Reuters)
People who bought winning tickets in Spain's Christmas Lottery celebrate in Vilalba on Friday.  (Photo: Miguel Vidal / Reuters)

About 70 percent of Spaniards between the ages of 18 and 75 play the Christmas lottery. Many queue up in long lines outside their favorite lottery booths, while some travel to different cities to play a specific number.

The annual tradition has been unbroken for over two centuries ― not even stopping during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s or during the rule of the dictator Francisco Franco.

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Becoming president

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Picking a perfect NCAA bracket

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Losing an appendage to a chainsaw

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Man Wins Lotto, Bails Himself Out Of Jail

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Geniuses Outsmart Massachusetts Cash WinFall

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Lotto Winner Found Million Dollar Ticket While Cleaning Out Desk

Retired hospice chaplain Ron Yurcus <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/ron-yurcus-glen-ellyn-lot_n_2139308.html">stumbled across a million-dollar miracle when he found a winning lottery ticket while cleaning out his desk</a> in November 2012. He had purchased the Powerball ticket from a BP gas station two months earlier.

Controversy Over Record Mega Millions Jackpot

After <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/mirlande-wilson-mega-millions-mcdonalds_n_1408105.html" target="_hplink">McDonald's employee Mirlande Wilson</a> falsely claimed she won Mega Millions' record $656 million jackpot, three <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/maryland-mega-millions-winner_n_1414857.html?ref=money#s785675&title=Undocumented_Immigrant_Awarded" target="_hplink">Maryland school teachers</a> stepped forward to claim their share of the prize.

New York Brothers Charged With Scamming $5 Million Lottery Ticket

Two brothers from central New York who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/andy-and-nayel-ashkar-lottery-scam_n_2123886.html">claimed a $5 million lottery ticket sold at their family's store were accused in November 2012 of scamming the winning ticket from a customer.</a> Andy Ashkar, 34, and Nayel Ashkar, 36, are charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy.

Chicago Man Wins New Jersey Lottery While Cleaning Up After Hurricane Sandy

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Teen Cancer Survivor Wins Mega Millions Lottery

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Lotto Winner Continued To Collect Food Stamps

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Undocumented Immigrant Awarded Lotto Prize After Lawsuit

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.