Lottery Blunder in Spanish Village Sees Almost $5M in Lost Winnings

An administrative mistake during a traditional Christmas lottery plunged the usually quiet Spanish mountain village of Villamanín into chaos, costing residents EUR 4 million (approximately $4.7 million) in lottery winnings.

Small Spanish Village Plunged into Turmoil Following Christmas Lottery Error

Located in the province of León in northwestern Spain, the village has fewer than 100 permanent residents in winter. In an effort to revive the community and draw visitors, young organizers sell lottery tickets each year, using part of the proceeds to fund local festivities.

As in past years, the organizers purchased tickets for Spain’s national lottery in 2025 and distributed them among residents and visitors. In total, 90 tickets were sold, divided into 450 shares priced at EUR 5 ($5.88) each. One euro per share supported the committee, while the remaining four euros were allocated to the lottery draw.

However, according to organizers, 50 shares were mistakenly never registered with state lottery authorities and were left at a committee member’s home. The oversight only came to light when the ticket won El Gordo (the largest prize of the Spanish Christmas Lottery) on December 22, rendering roughly EUR 4 million ($4.7 million) in unregistered winnings legally void.

The news of the mistake quickly swept through the village. The Friday following the draw, residents packed into an upstairs room at the local bar for an emergency meeting that lasted over four hours, and Spanish media described scenes of anger, tears, and heated accusations. Some villagers accused the organizers of deliberately mishandling the shares to profit, a claim the committee strongly denied.

In response to the accusations, the organizers said they never meant to deceive anyone and are even willing to open their bank accounts to prove their honesty. They said the hardest part is coming to terms with the fact that the situation has cost them friendships.

How Were Things Resolved?

In the end, a compromise was suggested as the committee offered to forfeit its own winnings, which were estimated by Spanish outlets at between EUR 1.2 million (about $1.4 million) and EUR 2 million (approximately $2.3 million). However, this required other prize recipients to agree to reduced payouts so the losses could be shared with those who had missed out.

This proposal, approved only by a show of hands and without a formal agreement, did not satisfy everyone. Legal experts cited in Spanish media noted that if the dispute goes to court, organizers could be held personally liable for the losses, even if no actual fraud occurred.