Spanish Oddities
A year in prison for not sharing a winning lottery ticket
By h.b.
Dec 11, 2007 - 8:08 AM

A man has been handed down a year’s prison sentence after refusing to share his 200,000 € winning Gordo Christmas lottery ticket with his ex girlfriend. The cost of the ticket was shared by the two who were then still together in the summer of 2003. The couple broke up a month before the lottery draw later that year.

The sentence handed down against a resident of Canet de Mar, Barcelona, Guillermo B., has now been confirmed by the Supreme Court who is guilty of unlawful appropriation. Four of his family members who had also been found guilty of being accomplices in the Barcelona Court, were however found not guilty by the Supremo.

When the girlfriend, Gloria F. had called Guillermo for her part of the prize she was told that only a 6th part of the winnings belonged to her as the ticket had been shared across the family.
The court however said such a common fund was not proven, and therefore the girlfriend should be paid half the winnings.