Luck strikes twice for three lottery winning waiters in seaside resort

Fortune fell on the town of Roquetas de Mar on Spain’ southern coast when on December 22nd the winning El Gordo  – the fat one – ticket netted the town of 90,000 people the big prize.

Tickets with the winning 79140 number were sold exclusively from a lottery outlet in the seaside town on the Almería coast.

READ ALSO: Fat chance – the ultimate guide's to Spain's 'El Gordo' Christmas lottery 

The feast of the Epiphany on Wednesday saw the drawing of the lottery known in Spain as El Niño, second only in popularity and overall prize money to El Gordo.

And lo and behold, Lady Luck smiled down once more on the town of Roquetas de Mar where two of the winning tickets with the number 22654 were sold. And on three work colleagues in particular.

Amid much secrecy it has emerged that Wednesday’s winners had also been recipients of the Christmas top prize.

Identified locally as three waiters from the Hotel Bahía Serena, the colleagues had formed a syndicate and each chipped in for the lottery tickets.

The men, named as Antonio, Paco and Nicolas have all turned up at work since winning the lottery, according to a report in the local Diario de Almería. 

The winning tickets brought the group a windfall of around €1.2 million ($1.3 million) before tax.

“We are not going to give up work,” the wife of one the winners told El Mundo. “But it will help plug some holes and leave us something to give our children.”