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| Region | Spain |
|---|---|
| First draw | 18 December 1812 |
| Operator | Loterias y Apuestas del Estado |
| Highest jackpot | €400,000 (perdécimo) |
| Odds of winning jackpot | 100,000 to 1 |
| Shown on | Televisión Española |
TheSpanish Christmas Lottery (officiallySorteo Extraordinario de Navidad[soɾˈteoe(ɣ)stɾaoɾðiˈnaɾjoðenaβiˈðað] or simplyLotería de Navidad[loteˈɾi.aðenaβiˈðað]) is a special draw ofLotería Nacional, the weekly nationallottery run by Spain's state-ownedLoterías y Apuestas del Estado. The extraordinaryChristmas draw takes place every 22 December and it is the biggest and most popular draw of the year.
As measured by the total prize payout, the Spanish Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery draw worldwide. In 2024, with 193 million pre-printed€20 tickets to sell (décimos), the maximum total amount available for all prizes would be€2.702 billion (seventy per cent of ticket sales).[1] The total amount for the first prizeEl Gordo ("the big one") would be €772 million.
In the Spanish-speaking and the English-speaking media it is sometimes just calledEl Gordo,[2] even though that name really refers to the first prize for any Spanish lottery.
Lotería Nacional, with its first draw held on 4 March 1812, is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world, just behind DutchStaatsloterij running since 1726.[3] This includes the years during theSpanish Civil War when two draws were held, one on each warring side. The firstLotería Nacional draw held at Christmas was on 18 December 1812 inCádiz and the grand prize was for the number 03604. The first time that the Christmas draw was extraordinary was in 1818,[a] and the first time the nameSorteo de Navidad was officially used was in 1897.[4]
As allLotería Nacional draws, the special Christmas draw is based on tickets (billetes) which have five-digit numbers, from 00000 to 99999. Since this system only produces 100,000 unique ticket numbers, each ticket number is printed multiple times, in several so-called series. The series is also identified on each ticket by a series number. In this way, the lottery organizer is able to sell more than 100,000 tickets each year, numbered from "Series 001 Ticket 00000" through "Series xxx Ticket 99999", where xxx is the total number of series printed in a given year. In 2024, there are 193 series of 100,000 tickets each, for a total of 19,300,000 tickets available at €200 each. If all €3.86 billion tickets were sold, there would be €2.702 billion (seventy percent of ticket sales) available for prizes.[5]
Because the €200 ticket price may be prohibitive for many purchasers, each of the pre-printed tickets is actually aperforated tear-apart sheet of ten identical sub-tickets (or fractions) sold for €20 each. Each one of these fractions is known as adécimo (one-tenth). Eachdécimo is entitled a ten per cent of any prize that the ticket has won.
Tickets are officially sold in official lottery shops throughout the country as well as by sellers on the street. Frequently a shop will sell a ticket number in all series meaning that all the winners of that ticket will have purchased their tickets in that location. This sometimes leads to a small village full of grand prize winners. Locations where previous grand prize winners were sold often becomes a location of lottery pilgrimage where thousands of people will buy their ticket. The tickets are also sold outside of Spain, usually online, and often with a markup in price.
On a private basis, or through associations, charities, workplaces, sports teams, cafés, shops, and other organizations, it is also possible to buy or be given a fraction of adécimo (one-tenth ticket). Many organizations buydécimos and divide them further into shares and sell them to the public, colleagues, or members of an association. Usually, with charities and special organizations, a small transaction fee is applied which is effectively a donation to the organization. Street sellers may take a commission earning a small profit. Such shares are made by writing the ticket number and the amount paid on a piece of paper and then signed. The paper is a legal contract in Spain and proof of participation in the ticket. If the ticket is a winner, anyone holding a share will be entitled to their proportional amount of the prize payout. For example, a charity may buy adécimo and split it further into ten more shares, in this case selling them for €2 each plus €1 extra as a donation to the charity. If their number wins, they will get a one percent of the prize (one-tenth of one-tenth).
For 2024, there are 193 series of 100,000 tickets (from 00000 to 99999) at €200 each. The maximum ticket sales of €3.86 billion would produce a prize payout of €2.702 billion (seventy percent of ticket sales). For each one of the 193 series, the prize structure is the following:
| Quantity | Prize | Description | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €4,000,000 | First Prize (El Gordo) | €4,000,000 |
| 1 | €1,250,000 | Second Prize | €1,250,000 |
| 1 | €500,000 | Third Prize | €500,000 |
| 2 | €200,000 | Fourth Prizes | €400,000 |
| 8 | €60,000 | Fifth Prizes | €480,000 |
| 1,794 | €1,000 | La Pedrea | €1,794,000 |
| 2 | €20,000 | For the two numbers just one unit above and below the First Prize | €40,000 |
| 2 | €12,500 | For the two numbers just one unit above and below the Second Prize | €25,000 |
| 2 | €9,600 | For the two numbers just one unit above and below the Third Prize | €19,200 |
| 99 | €1,000 | For the 99 numbers with the same first three digits of the First Prize | €99,000 |
| 99 | €1,000 | For the 99 numbers with the same first three digits of the Second Prize | €99,000 |
| 99 | €1,000 | For the 99 numbers with the same first three digits of the Third Prize | €99,000 |
| 198 | €1,000 | For the 99 numbers with the same first three digits of each of the Fourth Prizes | €198,000 |
| 999 | €1,000 | For the 999 numbers with the same two last digits as the First Prize | €999,000 |
| 999 | €1,000 | For the 999 numbers with the same two last digits as the Second Prize | €999,000 |
| 999 | €1,000 | For the 999 numbers with the same two last digits as the Third Prize | €999,000 |
| 9,999 | €200 | For the 9,999 numbers with the same last digit as the First Prize (Reintegro) | €1,999,800 |
| Total per series | €14,000,000 | ||
| Total for the 193 series | €2,702,000,000 | ||
In 2024, the€4,000,000El Gordo was paid to every series of number 72480. Every series of numbers 72479 and 72481 obtained the corresponding€20,000 approximation prizes. Additionally, every series of numbers between 72400 and 72499 (excludingEl Gordo but including approximations) obtained the€1,000 prizes for the numbers with the same first three digits ofEl Gordo. Every series of numbers ending in "80" (excludingEl Gordo) obtained€1,000, and every series of numbers ending in "0" (excludingEl Gordo) obtained a refund of€200.
The exact quantity of tickets and series, and their prices, may be different each year. For example, in 2004, there were 66,000 different numbers in 195 series. In 2005, there were 85,000 numbers in 170 series, whereas in 2006 the number of series was increased to 180. Since 2011 there have been 100,000 different numbers in 180 series. Distribution of prizes can also change, as in 2002 with the introduction of theEuro, or in 2011, whenEl Gordo increased from €3,000,000 to €4,000,000, the second prize increased from €1,000,000 to €1,250,000, the fifth prizes increased from €50,000 to €60,000, and 20 more prizes of €1,000 were added.[6] In 2013 the number of series was reduced from 180 to 160 to adjust to the expected demand.[7] In 2017 the number of series was increased from 160 to 170; in 2020, to 172; in 2022, to 180; in 2023, to 185; and in 2024, to 193.[8]
The drawing traditionally takes place on the morning of 22 December. In the past, the drawings took place at theLoterias y Apuestas del Estado hall in Madrid, in 2010 and 2011 it was held at thePalacio de Congresos de Madrid, and since 2012 at theTeatro Real in Madrid.[9] Pupils of theSan Ildefonso school (formerly reserved for orphans of public servants) draw the numbers and corresponding prizes, delivering the results in song to the public. Until 1984, only boys from San Ildefonso participated in the drawing; that year Mónica Rodríguez became the first girl to sing the results, including the fourth prize of 25 millionpesetas.[10] The public attending the event may be dressed in lottery-related extravagant clothing and hats.[11] The state-runTelevisión Española andRadio Nacional de España, and other media networks, broadcast live the entire draw, which is also livestreamed.
Two large spherical cages are used. The largest one contains 100,000 small wooden balls, each with a unique five-digit ticket number on it, from 00000 to 99999. The smaller cage contains 1,807 small wooden balls, each one representing a prize written in Euros:
Inscriptions on the wooden balls are nowadays made with a laser, to avoid any difference in weight between them. They weigh 3 grams (0.11 oz) and have a diameter of 18.8 millimetres (0.74 in).[12] Before being thrown into the vessels, the numbers are shown to the public for anyone to check that the balls with their numbers are not missing.
As the drawing goes on, a single ball is extracted from each of the revolving spheres at the same time. One child sings the winning number, the other child sings the corresponding prize. The balls have holes on them so they can be placed onto long wires, which are stored in frames for later verification. When a major prize is drawn, both children pause, sing the prize and winning number multiple times and show the balls to a committee, and then to a fixed camera with two Phillipsscrewdriver heads mounted at the front, all before being inserted in the wires with the others. This is repeated until the smaller vessel (the prize-balls) has been emptied. Due to the sheer number of prizes, this procedure takes several hours. The children work in about ten shifts, equal to the number of frames to be filled.[13][14][15][16][17] Once the first prize (El Gordo) is declared, its winning number is instantly broadcast on television, online, and on public screens.
Once each frame is filled, it undergoes several checks and verifications to certify the winning numbers and their corresponding prizes that it contains. Apart from the prizes drawn from the vessel, some prizes are calculated from the winning numbers (view the table with prizes above). Once everything has been verified, the official list of prizes is generated and sent to theRoyal Mint, which is responsible for printing it. This official list is distributed –physically and electronically– that same afternoon to the lottery shops and the media so that everyone can check their tickets. The winning numbers are those on the official prize list, regardless of what the children have sung, since they could have made a mistake. One of the most notorious errors when singing occurred in 1987, when the children sang number 20864 with apedrea of 125,000 pesetas, but when the draw officer saw the balls in the wires he noticed that the number was actually 20064, and it had won insteadEl Gordo, worth 250 million pesetas.[18]
The two-vessels system was the traditional system used byLotería Nacional in all its draws, but nowadays it is only used in the Christmas draw. Since 1965 the rest of the ordinary and extraordinaryLotería Nacional draws use five spherical cages with ten balls each (numbered 0 to 9), from where the five digits of the winning numbers are drawn.
Non-winners are known to claim "it's health that really matters" after losing. Those who get their money back often re-invest it in a ticket forSorteo Extraordinario de El Niño, the second most importantLotería Nacional draw, held every 6 January, theEpiphany of Jesus day.
The smallest prize is thereintegro, tickets that end with the same last digit as the First Prize get the money back. This means ten per cent of all tickets get the money back. There is a 5.3% chance of winning higher prizes meaning more than fifteen per cent of all tickets win some prize which is a significantly higher winning rate than most other lotteries. The prize structure makes it easier to win some money compared to other lotteries, and it is common saying that the prizes of the Christmas Lottery are well distributed all around Spain. Chances of winningEl Gordo are 1 in 100,000, that is 0.001%, while chances of winning the top prize ofEuroMillions are 1 in 139,838,160 or 0.00000072%, and chances of winning the top prize ofMega Millions are 1 in 302,575,350 or 0.00000000330496189%.
The overall odds of winning some prize at the Extraordinary Christmas Draw ofLotería Nacional are 1:6.5, which is a 15.38%.[19] The odds of winning each of the prizes are the following:
| Prize | Odds of winning |
|---|---|
| 1st prize (El Gordo) | 1:100,000 |
| 2nd prize | 1:100,000 |
| 3rd prize | 1:100,000 |
| 4th prize | 1:50,000 |
| 5th prize | 1:12,500 |
| Tickets with numbers one below and above the 1st prize | 1:50,000 |
| Tickets with numbers one below and above the 2nd prize | 1:50,000 |
| Tickets with numbers one below and above the 3rd prize | 1:50,000 |
| For all numbers which have the same first three digits as the 1st prize | 1:1,010 |
| For all numbers which have the same first three digits as the 2nd prize | 1:1,010 |
| For all numbers which have the same first three digits as the 3rd prize | 1:1,010 |
| For all numbers which have the same first three digits as the 4th prize | 1:505 |
| For all numbers which have the same last two digits as the 1st prize | 1:100 |
| For all numbers which have the same last two digits as the 2nd prize | 1:100 |
| For all numbers which have the same last two digits as the 3rd prize | 1:100 |
| La Pedrea | 1:56 |
| For all numbers which have the same last digit as the 1st prize (Reintegro) | 1:10 |
The climax of the drawing is the moment whenEl Gordo is drawn.[20] Lottery outlets usually sell multiple series –even all– of the numbers assigned to them, so the winners of the largest prizes often live in the same area, work for the same company, or are members of the same association. In 2011,El Gordo was sold entirely inGrañén (Huesca), a town with about 2,000 people.[20] In 2010, €414 million of the first prize were sold in three locations inBarcelona, and the rest of the €585 million ofEl Gordo was distributed betweenMadrid,Tenerife,Alicante,Palencia,Zaragoza,Cáceres, andGuipúzcoa.[21] In 2006, the first prize was sold in eight different lottery outlets across Spain, while the second prize was only ever sold in a kiosk on thePuerta del Sol in central Madrid.[22] In 2005, the €510 million ofEl Gordo were sold inVic (Barcelona), a town with 37,825 inhabitants.[23]
As a misconception in many non-Spanish speaking countries[where?][citation needed], it is often assumed that the termEl Gordo is specific for the Christmas Lottery; some even think thatEl Gordo is in fact the name of the lottery. However, the real meaning ofEl Gordo is simply "the first prize" (literally "the fat one" or more accurately "the big one"); other lotteries have theirGordo as well. To add to the confusion, there is a relatively new weekly Spanish lottery game calledEl Gordo de la Primitiva, which has nothing in common with the Christmas lottery, except the fact that it is organized by the Spanish public lottery entityLoterias y Apuestas del Estado.
The price of each ticket and the prize ofEl Gordo have varied over the years. As mentioned above, the price of adécimo is one tenth of a ticket, and the prize that corresponds to it is also one tenth of the prize corresponding to the ticket.
| Years | Price per ticket | El Gordo prize per ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 1812–1849 | 100pts | 40,000 pts |
| 1850–1875 | 15,000,000 pts | |
| 1876–1943 | 500 pts | |
| 1944–1952 | 1,000 pts | |
| 1953–1956 | 2,000 pts | |
| 1957–1964 | 4,000 pts | |
| 1965–1966 | 37,500,000 pts | |
| 1966–1969 | 75,000,000 pts | |
| 1970–1976 | 10,000 pts | |
| 1977–1979 | 200,000,000 pts | |
| 1980–1989 | 25,000 pts | 250,000,000 pts |
| 1990 | 30,000 pts | |
| 1991–2001 | 300,000,000 pts | |
| 2002–2004 | 200 € | €2,000,000 |
| 2005–2010 | €3,000,000 | |
| 2011–present | €4,000,000 |
