Spanish Reporter Quits On Air After Winning Lottery, Only To Find Out Later She Won Just €5,000!
RD Minion
02/01/2020 06:55 MYT
02/01/2020 06:55 MYT
A show of hand, guys: who else had this dream of quitting your job the moment you find out that you've struck the lottery?
We've all fantasised about marching into your boss' room with a smirk on your face and throwing your resignation letter on his desk.
Unfortunately, not many people are lucky enough to do that, but one Spanish actually did.
There was only one problem though: her winnings wouldn't even last her a month.
According to a report by The Straits Times, a Valencia community journalist by the name of Natalia Escudero was covering Spain's annual Christmas lottery, called the El Gordo (The Fat One), when she found out that she was also a winner.
The country’s lottery happens to be the world's richest draw, with a prize pool of around €2.24 billion (RM10.26 billion). According to the report, 15,000 people have a winning chance in different amounts.
When they announced the winning number, which was 26590, Escudero found out that she was one of the lucky ticket holders to have the correct number.
Thinking that she had won €400,000 (RM1.83 million), she did the first thing that came to her mind: she announced her resignation on air.
"I'm not going in tomorrow. Natalia doesn't work tomorrow. Woo!,” she told her audience on camera before proceeding to interview other ticket holders.
She even pulled the woman who sold her the prize-winning ticket and kissed her on the cheek.
After a thorough calculation, she later learnt that her share of the jackpot was only €5,000 (RM22,938)!
So, why so little?
According to travel website Barcelona Yellow, a Spanish lottery ticket typically costs around €200 (RM917), and to make it easier for the masses to enter the draw, they can buy a decimo - or a 10th of a full ticket - for just €20 (RM91).
This was what Esucdero actually bought, which means that her winning prize was just a 10th of a full ticket's share of the prize.
After people realised that Esucdero didn’t win as much money as she announced on air, some members of the public as well as the Spanish media accused her of being unprofessional and duping viewers about her earnings.
She later tweeted an apology for anyone who felt deceived by her reaction. The past few months have been difficult, she said, and the win was the first time she has felt some good fortune.
While Escudero has expressed regret for her actions, it’s still unclear if she is still employed at the TV station.
Well, at least this would teach her not to say anything without thinking it through, especially on live television.
We've all fantasised about marching into your boss' room with a smirk on your face and throwing your resignation letter on his desk.
Unfortunately, not many people are lucky enough to do that, but one Spanish actually did.
There was only one problem though: her winnings wouldn't even last her a month.
Found out she won the lottery
According to a report by The Straits Times, a Valencia community journalist by the name of Natalia Escudero was covering Spain's annual Christmas lottery, called the El Gordo (The Fat One), when she found out that she was also a winner.
The country’s lottery happens to be the world's richest draw, with a prize pool of around €2.24 billion (RM10.26 billion). According to the report, 15,000 people have a winning chance in different amounts.
When they announced the winning number, which was 26590, Escudero found out that she was one of the lucky ticket holders to have the correct number.
Thinking that she had won €400,000 (RM1.83 million), she did the first thing that came to her mind: she announced her resignation on air.
Aquí la tienes: "la reportera de La 1" de la que habla todo el mundo a estas horas. ¡Se llama Natalia Escudero! #LoteríaRTVE
— TVE (@tve_tve) December 22, 2019
? Directo ➡ https://t.co/pfgTOQpaaN pic.twitter.com/58j3ACuNte
"I'm not going in tomorrow. Natalia doesn't work tomorrow. Woo!,” she told her audience on camera before proceeding to interview other ticket holders.
She even pulled the woman who sold her the prize-winning ticket and kissed her on the cheek.
The ball drops
However, little did she know, the prize money can be split multiple ways.After a thorough calculation, she later learnt that her share of the jackpot was only €5,000 (RM22,938)!
So, why so little?
According to travel website Barcelona Yellow, a Spanish lottery ticket typically costs around €200 (RM917), and to make it easier for the masses to enter the draw, they can buy a decimo - or a 10th of a full ticket - for just €20 (RM91).
This was what Esucdero actually bought, which means that her winning prize was just a 10th of a full ticket's share of the prize.
After people realised that Esucdero didn’t win as much money as she announced on air, some members of the public as well as the Spanish media accused her of being unprofessional and duping viewers about her earnings.
She later tweeted an apology for anyone who felt deceived by her reaction. The past few months have been difficult, she said, and the win was the first time she has felt some good fortune.
Hola a tod@s, sirva este tweet para primero pedir disculpas a cualquier espectador que hoy se haya sentido engañado por una servidora , al afirmar en directo que me había tocado el Gordo de Navidad en el programa LA MAÑANA. Es cierto que me ha invadido la emoción y ahora explico
— natalia escudero (@nataliescudero1) December 22, 2019
While Escudero has expressed regret for her actions, it’s still unclear if she is still employed at the TV station.
Well, at least this would teach her not to say anything without thinking it through, especially on live television.