The morning in La Elipa started as usual, but by noon the neighborhood was buzzing with news. This time, luck smiled upon lottery office No. 246 on Ricardo Ortiz street. It was here that ticket number 79,432, which won the top prize in the El Gordo Christmas lottery, was sold. For Esther Lanchas, the manager of the office, this moment was a real shock—she couldn’t believe at first that the long-awaited day had finally arrived. “I’ve waited my whole life for this,” she admitted, struggling to hold back tears.
For years, the office kept a couple of bottles of champagne for just such a big win, but when the moment finally came, the supply had run out. They had to quickly send an employee out to buy a bottle. Almost at the same time, Esther’s mother, Nieves, rushed into the office. She had heard the news from an acquaintance in her village, who had also gotten a lucky ticket. “I got the call and immediately ran over to my daughter—I knew this place would soon be in a frenzy,” she told reporters.
Who claimed the millions
The main share of the winnings went to the association Isegoría, based in the Puerta de Toledo district. The organization is known as a cultural collective with progressive ideas. Its president, Julián Sánchez Vizcaíno, confirmed that their group was indeed among the winners, but declined to go into details. “We are very happy, but we don’t want publicity,” he said briefly.
The news came as a real shock to local residents. Nobody expected that tens of millions of euros would end up literally right outside their windows. “Every year I wait in line at Doña Manolita, and it turns out the grand prize was right under my house,” marveled one resident as she wheeled her shopping cart. Another neighbor joked that she had bought three different numbers, but of course the winning ticket was the one she didn’t have.
Neighborhood reaction
In recent years, it’s become uncommon to show up at the lottery office after a win—people now prefer to stay in the shadows. Although Esther insists that almost all tickets were sold in this neighborhood, not one local vendor admitted to having won a large sum. Perhaps that’s true—after all, no one closed their shop early.
At Glassé café, just a few steps from the lottery outlet, there was a lively buzz as well. The owner said that journalists had been stopping by all morning, looking for lucky winners, but even after finding out they weren’t among them, they still stayed for breakfast. “With this cold outside, it’s better to sit here with us,” she laughed.
Family story
Once the excitement had calmed a bit, Esther took a moment to remember her father. He founded the lottery office in 1988 and dreamed of one day handing El Gordo to his clients. He retired before that dream came true, but his daughter is convinced—he would have been happy to see it finally happen.
