People wait for the start of the draw at Madrid's Teatro Real opera house during Spain's bumper Christmas lottery draw known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.

Spain’s 200-year-old holiday lottery, "The Fat One," delivered a hefty prize again this year, with over $2.8 billion in prizes warbled out by schoolchildren and watched live around the world.

Players with winning tickets in Spain's huge Christmas lottery draw on Sunday celebrated with sparkling wine, cheers and hugs in a 200-year-old tradition that marks the beginning of the Christmas ...

A spectator waits for the start of the annual Christmas lottery draw, known as El Gordo, or The Fat One, at Madrid's Teatro Real, Spain, on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of $2.8 billion in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners singing and dancing.

MADRID (AP) — For weeks, Spaniards had anticipated the arrival of “El Gordo” or "The Fat One." But unlike Santa Claus, El Gordo arrived three days before Christmas, before noon on Sunday. El ...

MADRID — For weeks, Spaniards had anticipated the arrival of “El Gordo” or “The Fat One.” But unlike Santa Claus, El Gordo arrived three days before Christmas, before noon on Sunday. El ...