Lucky ONCE seller misses World Cup final as €1.8 million jackpot rings in

Spain’s winning of the World Cup was not the only jackpot to happen on Sunday evening. For two lucky ONCE coupon sellers Sunday’s Weekend Coupon draw handed out huge cash prizes in Fuengirola and Huelva just hours after the national team’s victory.

Fuengirola seller too busy for the final whistle

A ONCE vendor in Fuengirola sold a winning coupon worth €1.5 million, only to spend the closing minutes of the World Cup final answering congratulatory phone calls rather than watching Spain lift the trophy. Manuel González, who has sold ONCE coupons since December, awarded a top prize of €300,000 in cash plus €5,000 a month for 20 years on Avenida Santa Amalia, close to Fuengirola’s Central Mosque. Sixteen further winning coupons each brought in €20,000, pushing the total windfall for the town to €1,820,000.

“Calls started coming in while Spain were winning, and I couldn’t watch the match anymore,” Gonzalez said. Missing those final minutes clearly didn’t bother him. “You start working for ONCE because you want to give out a prize, and when that day finally comes, it feels strange, like it happened to you too, even though it didn’t,” he explained.

Gonzalez’s path to selling lottery coupons wasn’t a conventional one. Flamenco singing was his career before a heart condition forced a change of direction. “ONCE turned my life around completely,” he said. “Dealing with people is what I love most, and now I get to do that while giving out prizes too.”

Huelva beachgoers celebrate double win

Pedro Soler, a seller on La Antilla beach in Huelva for the past two years, also brought good news on Cup final day. His coupon sale earned a winner €2,000 a month for 10 years. Crowds packed the promenade on Sunday, buzzing with anticipation ahead of Spain’s win later that evening, Soler described the day as a double celebration, Spain’s triumph and the prize money he’d just paid out. “I’m delighted for whoever won,” he said. “It’s like scoring another World Cup goal.”

How the ONCE Weekend Sueldazo works

ONCE’s Weekend Sueldazo runs every Saturday and Sunday, offering a top prize of €300,000 plus €5,000 monthly for 20 years to one winning coupon. Four additional coupons each win €2,000 a month for 10 years. Sales come with strict safeguards attached. Coupons cannot be sold to minors or bought on credit, and ONCE follows responsible gambling guidelines set by the World Lottery Association and the European Lotteries Association.

More than 21,300 sellers offer ONCE coupons across Spain, with additional sales available through juegosonce.es and authorised retail partners.

You have to be in it to win it