Spain braces for annual 'Fat One' Christmas lottery

With Friday's draw looming, people have been queuing in cities across Spain to buy tickets for the country's traditional "El Gordo" festive lottery.

The state-run event has a total prize pot of 2.59 billion euros, which is split into hundreds of smaller amounts ranging from 20 euros up to the 400,000-euro "El Gordo", or "Fat One".

"I have hope" says Aida Pereira, as she queues outside the Dona Manolita shop in central Madrid, considered by many to be the luckiest in Spain.