The EuroMillons lottery allows people to dream. For a small sum of money (2.50€ for one line and 1€ for additional lines), anyone can hope to become a millionaire. Obviously, the chances of winning a jackpot are minute and there are many lesser prizes, but some lucky person will win the big one and their life will be transformed. The odds of winning any prize are 1 : 13, but to win the jackpot you have to be a lot luckier - 1 : 139,838,160! Winners will not even have to pay tax on their prize, unless the tickets are unfortunately bought in Spain, Portugal or Switzerland.
Spain also has its lotteries and the most famous is El Gordo (The Fat One), which is drawn on 22 December each year, just before Christmas. This was started by the public administration in 1812 and is now considered to be the biggest lottery worldwide. Sales for the lottery begin many months ahead of the draw and, in 2018, over 170 million tickets were sold. Because of the vast number on offer, tickets are divided into 10s, known as décimos, and all 10 have the same number. Each décimo is bought for 20€, with the chance of winning 4 million euros. Sales for the last draw totalled 3.3billion euros and 70% of that (2.38b€) was distributed as prizes. The government benefits from the profit, plus there is now a tax of 20% on winnings over 2,500€.
Although my wife and I have lived in Spain for 15 years, we haven't been caught up in the excitement of El Gordo. It's estimated that Spanish people spend an average of 70€ each on tickets and, as ten tickets will have the same number and may be sold to friends, family, work colleagues and neighbours, potential participants don't want to left out of the hype of a group win. I was given a ticket once, but didn't win anything and have never been tempted to buy one. For the last draw, my wife was presented with a ticket and she didn't expect to win a prize either, so wasn't particularly hopeful. However, on the evening after the draw, the person who had bought the ticket messaged my wife to tell her she had won 100€. Ok, not the jackpot, but a welcome win nevertheless. I doubt whether that will encourage us to buy tickets in the future, but there was a certain excitement in the house that evening.
In fact, based on our reaction of a 100€ win, I feel tremendous happiness for the fortune of the latest EuroMillons jackpot winners. They beat extremely unlikely odds and were the luckiest people in the world when it mattered - the moment the winning number was chosen. Since their win, they've made a list of fifty people who they will share part of their fortune with, so their luck will spread. Last night, as I lay in bed, I made my own list and it brought true joy to imagine the reaction of the recipients. The thought of it being better to give than receive came to mind. Perhaps I should change my opinion and start buying lottery tickets!