A nation of gamblers? – Spanish lotteries, bingo, casinos & their history

Did you know that Spain´s Lottery is the second oldest in world? Did you know that Spaniards bet a whopping 1.9 billion euros each year? And did you know that one of the most popular lotteries in Spain was set-up by General Franco to help people who had been blinded during the Civil War? Join me in this episode as I put gambling in Spain under the microscope. Yes, betting is big business and there LOTS of way to gamble in Spain. I´ll be looking at the numerous Lotteries, Bingo culture and of course Casinos and exploring the surprising history behind the evolution of gambling in Spanish society during the Franco regime and beyond. I try to make sense of all the different lotteries as I head out into my neighbourhood in Madrid to buy my first ever lottery ticket. I chat to the seller for ONCE La Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (The National Organization for Spanish Blind People) who explains all the lottery ticket options available – and yes it was confusing! The When in Spain podcast is an independently produced show. No adverts, no sponsors, no media company backing. All episodes are available to listen to free. However, my time and resources for producing the episodes are not free. It comes at a personal cost. So if you enjoy the When in Spain podcast and don’t want to see it disappear please do consider making a small contribution to help support the future of podcast.  Every listener donation, however big or small, is so valuable. For as little as $1 you can support When in Spain by becoming a Patron – and it only takes a minute. You can sign-up to become a When in Spain patron at https://www.patreon.com/wheninspain