According to the New York Times, the residents of a tiny isolated farming village of Sodeto in Spain were thinking of passing up Spain’s huge Christmas lottery, known as El Gordo — the fat one — which is something of a national obsession. But they bought tickets out of loyalty to the homemakers’ association here, which makes a small percentage on the sales.

The only resident who did not win was Costis Mitsotakis, a Greek filmmaker, who moved to the village for love of a woman.

As cretalive.gr and the New York Times report, that are not aware of the fact that the name ‘Mitsotakis’ has a negative connotation in Greece, some of Sodeto’s residents, mostly farmers and unemployed construction workers, won millions. The least fortunate came away with a minimum of $130,000 — and the giddy feeling that life, in its mysterious ways, was giving them another chance.

“Costis Mitsotakis said it would have been nice to win. But he has benefited nonetheless. He had been trying to sell some land without much success. The day after the lottery a neighbor called to say he would buy it. The next day another neighbor called. But Mr. Mitsotakis refused to get into a bidding war”, the New York Times concludes.



