1,950 share top prize in Spain's Gordo lottery

Economic woes eased for many in Spain yesterday as the Christmas lottery - billed among the world's richest - dished out some 2.32 billion euros ($3.23 billion) in prizes.

The top prize of the lottery dubbed "El Gordo" (The Fat One) went to holders of tickets bearing the number 32365. The winning number appears on 1,950 tickets, each of which wins 300,000 euros ($418,000).

The number was sung out at just after noon yesterday by pupils of Madrid's Saint Ildefonso School in a nationally televized draw held each Dec 22. Rather than a single jackpot, the lottery aims for a share-out in which thousands of numbers yield at least some kind of return.