According to the mayor of the town, Javier Carrera, the lottery win “means for La Bañeza an injection of excitement and hope,” he told Spanish media. Carrera also mentioned the closure this year of a local sugar-beet factory which caused the loss of dozens of jobs.
Another town in the León province that was heavily affected by the summer’s fires, Villablino, also took a massive share of the jackpot, receiving €200 million (£175m).
“We needed some good news,” said the mayor, Mario Rivas.
On top of the blazes, five local men were killed in two separate mining accidents in nearby Asturias this year.
“It doesn’t make up for the loss of the lives of our friends, but this shows us that there can also be good news,” said Rivas.
Most of the winning tickets in Villablino were sold by a local Alzheimer’s association.
In addition, the town of La Pola de Gordón, also in León and with a population of 3,000, shared out 60 million euros. Sixty-four million euros of jackpot money also went to a working-class district in Madrid.
In Villablino, Maribel Martín had one of the winning décimos, worth €400,000 (£349,484). She was out doing grocery shopping when her son called her to give her the good news.
“We were really down and 200 million euros is a wonderful thing,” she said
She is clear what she wants to do with the prize money. “Spread it around a bit and enjoy life,” she said.