STATE LOTTERY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 12 March 1927, Page 11

STATE LOTTERY.

QINCE 1763, when the lottery was established in Spain by royal decree under Charles 111., its popularity has never waned. To-day it is one o± the most trustworthy sources of the budget, and brings in about £2,000,000 of revenue. Especially during the last decade have the annual sales increased In 1916 the value of the tickets sold in Madrid totalled 34 million pesetas (£2,750,000). in other large sales have risen proportionately. There are three of the State lottery every month, on the Ist, 112th and 22nd. As 64.16 per cent, ot ‘the tickets are given away in prizes, and 4.20 per cent, represent the expenses of the State, the proflits are theoretically only 26.64 per cent of the capital employed. They are, however, larger owing to the curious circumstance that a considerable proportion of the prizes are never claimed. At the end of the year all unclaimed prizes revent to the State. In 1925, for instance, the State profited by over 34 million pesetas under this ruling. Moreover, unsold tickets returned to the State win a certain percentage ot prizes.

The drawing on December 22 is the I'ireest in the year; the prizes numbering 9151, totalling 82,992,000 pesetas. The largest single prize is of 15,000,000 (£48,000)* the fateful “Gordo.”

Last Christmas the first prize was divided among a large number of persons, employees at the school of arts and paintings and the clients of a barber’s shop in a populous quarter ot the town. Some of the shares distributed were as small as one penny, bin one penny in the “Gordo” means £250.

The owner of the barber’s shop was shaving a general officer when the good news was telephoned to him that he had won a 20th share.