One House Won, One House Unclaimed in Málaga Raffle
Listen to the story
A small town in Málaga, Spain, called Cuevas del Becerro, held a raffle for two houses. Tickets cost only ten euros each.
The raffle aimed to attract new residents to the town. Many rural areas in Spain face depopulation, as people move to bigger cities for work.
Only one of the two houses found a winner. The second house remained vacant, since no ticket matched the winning number.
This kind of outcome is described locally as 'una de cal y otra de arena', a Spanish expression meaning some good news and some bad news.
The winning family now owns a house for just ten euros, a remarkable deal for such a large prize.
The unclaimed house creates a problem for the town. Organizers must now decide what to do with the second prize.
It is common for small Spanish towns to use raffles like this. They hope raffles will bring new families and stop population decline.
Local authorities sometimes repeat a raffle if no one wins. They may also extend the deadline to sell more tickets.
The story shows both the success and the risk of these housing schemes. One family benefits greatly, but one house stays empty for now.
Towns like Cuevas del Becerro see these raffles as a creative solution to a long-term demographic challenge.
Vocabulary7 words
- raffle
- a game where people buy tickets to try to win a prize
- depopulation
- when fewer and fewer people live in a place
- vacant
- empty; not used by anyone
- outcome
- the result of something
- authorities
- people in charge of a town or area
- schemes
- official plans to solve a problem
- demographic
- related to how many people live somewhere
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Cuevas del Becerro, Málaga 2. It remained unclaimed because no ticket won 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A small town in Málaga, Spain, called Cuevas del Becerro, held a _____ for two houses.
Tickets cost only ten _____ each.
The raffle aimed to attract new _____ to the town.
Many rural areas in Spain face _____, as people move to bigger cities.
Only one of the two houses found a _____.
The second house remained _____, since no ticket matched the winning number.
The winning family now owns a house for just ten euros, a remarkable _____ for such a large prize.
Local _____ sometimes repeat a raffle if no one wins.
The story shows both the success and the _____ of these housing schemes.
Towns like Cuevas del Becerro see these raffles as a creative solution to a long-term _____ challenge.
Discussion questions
- Do you think house raffles are a good way to attract new residents to small towns? Why or why not?
- What other solutions could help towns facing depopulation?
- Would you buy a raffle ticket for a house? What risks might be involved?
- How do you think the town should handle the unclaimed second house?
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