African migrants hit it big in Spain Christmas lottery

Tickets with the winning number for the annual Christmas lottery were only sold at one outlet in Roquetas de Mar, a seaside town of a little over 90,000 inhabitants.

A Senegalese man named Ngame says he and his wife were saved by Spain’s coast guard in 2007 when their overcrowded boat was traveling from Africa’s western coast toward Spain’s Canary Islands.

El Gordo, which means Fat One in Spanish, is one of the biggest lotteries in the world and even if it is operated out of Spain, anyone who wants to join can participate and purchase tickets.

“I’m really happy and I congratulate all the winners”, told Mayor Gabriel Amat to the Voz de Almeria newspaper.

He said that there had been 65 migrants on board, including the woman who is now his wife, when the boat got into difficulties off the Spanish coast. “I want to give thanks to Spaniards and the Spanish government for rescuing me when I was in the sea”. Ngagne revealed that he has spent the last eight years working as vegetable picker in nearby Almeria but in an incredible twist had lost the job just days before purchasing his lottery ticket.

Lottery fever gripped Spain yesterday as thousands celebrated wins in the El Gordo draw with prizes totalling €2.24bn ($2.45bn), offering a welcome distraction from political concerns after an inconclusive election.

But Ngagne has now scooped a massive €400,000 in the famous El Gordo annual lottery. It has handed out more than two billion euros this year.

The Christmas lottery has been held uninterrupted since 1812.

It has become a popular Christmas tradition in Spain, with friends, colleagues and bar regulars banding together to buy tickets.