Spain goes lottery crazy

Spain’s Christmas lottery spread €2.3bn across the country today, money eagerly welcomed by a nation facing 20% unemployment.

The lottery billed as the world’s richest has no single jackpot but operates a complex share-the-wealth system in which thousands of five-digit numbers running from 00000 to 84999 win something. It is known as “El Gordo” (The Fat One) and dates back to 1812.