El Gordo 'Forgets' Canary Islands Again

Today's Christmas Lottery Draw, El Gordo (The Fat One) made millionaires in Barcelona and Valencia, but, yet again, none of the top prizes brought any fortune to the "Fortunate Islands".

Almost eight percent of the consigned numbers for the Canary Islands were returned, unsold. Nevertheless, 390,000 ticket holders in the archipelago were today hoping for a first prize. If they'd got one, it would have been only the forth time in the history of the draw.

This is a phenomenon that leaves the Canary Islands population with little faith in the big draw, compared to that which they have in "El Niño", the next extraordinary draw that will be held on January 6th, which seems to be more favorable to the islands.

The El Gordo Christmas draw is the most traditional in Spain and it's a habit that everybody plays the lottery on December 22.

This year Spaniards spent an average of 73.00 euros in the draw that shares most prizes in the world, with 13,334 individual prizes and 2,023 million euros total prize money up for grabs.

Yet, hopefulls in Tenerife seem to have scored a big, fat zero in the Christmas draw and only a total of 50,000 Euros in minor prizes were reported to have been distributed in Gran Canaria.

The Christmas 2005 first prize of 3 million Euros per ticket (300,000 Euros per décimo) went to holders of number 20085.

As they do every year, children from the 500 year old Colegio de San Ildefonso school for orphans in Madrid, draw and sing out the numbers of the winning tickets.

The El Gordo draw is part of the National Lottery managed by the Spanish government, which was created in 1763. The first draw in which boys from the school took part, was in March 1771. Since 1984, girls have participated too.

Mention must be made, however, of the numerous scams that have operated in recent years. Email "spam" and letters have been sent to many people around the world claiming they have won an "El Gordo" prize, but, if you didn't buy a ticket, you did NOT win.

El Gordo Lottery 2005
Más de 390.000 billetes aspiran hoy al cuarto «Gordo» de Navidad en Canarias
LOS NIÑOS DE LA SUERTE
HISTORIA DE LA LOTERIA NACIONAL
Advice about scams