People in Balearics spend below average on “El Niño” lottery

Joan Collins BALEARIC residents spend less than the average amount on the lottery “El Niño”, just 17.07 euros per head. The residents of Valencia, La Rioja and the Basque Country are the ones who spend the most, the total spent being more than 999 million euros. The draw, the second biggest one after El Gordo at Christmas, will take place on January 6. According to figures from the National Lottery Organisation (ONLAE), 4'995'858 tickets have been sold for this special draw which works out at an average spend of 23.17 euros per head. The citizens of Valencia spend much more than this average, 31.44 euros per head. In the case of the inhabitants of La Rioja, the average per head is 31.13 euros, while those in the Basque Country spend nearly 31 euros per head. In Castille-Leon they spend 30.05 euros per head and in Navarra an average of 29.58 euros. These figures are higher in some provinces, for example in Lerida the average spend is 49.09 euros although this figure cannot be relied on because in this region they have Sort, whose lottery office La Bruixa D'Or (the golden witch) sometimes gives a large jackpot at Christmas. Tickets for their draws are sold on the Internet. In Soria and Segovia people are expected to spend more than 45 euros per head while in Burgos it goes to 42.07. On the other hand, according to the sales of tickets by ONLAE, the citizens of Melilla and Ceuta spend the least, not even 8 euros per head. Also spending less than the average are the inhabitants of Extremadura (14.82 euros), the Balearics (17.07 euros) and the citizens of Andalucia (17.13 euros), and especially the people of Huelva who spend just 8.91 euros. In concrete terms Madrid is the community which spends the most on tickets (148'300'800 euros). Following is Valencia (142'844'000 euros), Catalonia (135'660'000 euros) and Andalucia (131'675'400 euros). The regions which spend the least on tickets, apart from Melilla and Ceuta, are La Rioja (9'139'200 euros), Navarra (11'502'000 euros) and Cantabria (13'548'400 euros), the lottery office said.