Marcus Chen
Spain's Christmas lottery, the largest in the world, takes place annually on 22 December. The lottery is steeped in Spanish culture, with an estimated 70-90% of the adult population participating each year. The total prize pool is €2.7 billion, divided into thousands of prizes. The top prize, El Gordo, awards €400,000 per décimo. The smallest prize is the reintegro, where tickets that end with the same last digit as the First Prize get their money back. In 2011, the tickets featured a painting of the Virgin Mary in red and gold robes, visited by a hovering choir of angels.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Theme | Virgin Mary in red and gold robes, visited by a hovering choir of angels |
| Figures | Joseph and Mary |
| Setting | Judaean desert in winter |
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What You'll Learn
Prize money distribution
The Spanish Christmas Lottery, or El Gordo ("the fat one"), is a special draw of Lotería Nacional, the weekly national lottery run by Spain's state-owned Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. The draw takes place annually on December 22 and is considered the biggest lottery draw in the world in terms of total prize payout.
The total prize pool for 2023 was €2.6 billion, equivalent to approximately $2.8 billion, with the top prize, El Gordo, awarding €400,000 per décimo (a tenth of a ticket). The second prize awards €125,000 per décimo, the third prize awards €50,000 per décimo, the fourth prize awards €20,000 per décimo (given to two numbers), and the fifth prize awards €6,000 per décimo (given to eight numbers). In addition, there are smaller prizes like the pedreas, which award €100 to nearly 2,000 numbers.
For 2024, the maximum total amount available for all prizes is projected to be €2.702 billion (seventy per cent of ticket sales), with the total amount for the first prize, El Gordo, being €772 million. The prize structure for each of the 193 series is as follows: the €4,000,000 El Gordo is paid to every series of the winning number.
The first €40,000 of any prize is tax-free, and for prizes over this amount, only the first €40,000 is tax-exempt. The remaining sum is taxed at a rate of 20%. For example, the net amount received after taxes for the €400,000 El Gordo prize would be €328,000.
It is worth noting that there are also phantom prizes, which are prizes that remain unclaimed, and the taxes levied on the prizes generate another €160 million in revenue for the state.
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Ticket sales
Tickets are sold officially in lottery shops throughout Spain and by street sellers. Each ticket has a five-digit number, ranging from 00000 to 99999, and each number is printed on multiple décimos ("a tenth of a ticket"), meaning there are 100,000 unique ticket numbers in total. A décimo typically costs €20, making the full ticket price €200. However, these are often broken down further into quarter décimos, costing €5 each, to make them more affordable.
Many people buy décimos or fractions of décimos, and it is common for families, friends, coworkers, and members of sports and social clubs to share tickets. It is also possible to buy tickets online from outside of Spain, although these are usually sold at a markup in price.
The total prize pool for the lottery is €2.7 billion, with the top prize, El Gordo, awarding €400,000 per décimo. However, 30% of the total revenue from ticket sales, amounting to €1.16 billion, goes to the State.
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San Ildefonso school children
The San Ildefonso school in Madrid has been associated with the Spanish Christmas Lottery since its inception. The school, one of the oldest in Madrid with over 400 years of history, was originally founded to support orphaned children and continues to assist children in vulnerable situations today. The children from the school sing out the winning numbers, with one child taking out a numbered ball from a rotating drum, and another child taking out a ball from another drum that announces the prize for that number. This is known as El Gordo, or "The Fat One", a reference to its large top prize. The winning numbers are called out with a rhythmic cadence that is known to everyone in Spain. The children practise singing out the numbers and prizes, and the draw generates €350,000 annually for the school, helping to fund its programmes and support its students.
The Spanish Christmas Lottery is the largest in the world, with an estimated 70-90% of the adult population participating each year. The lottery has been running since 1812, and the first draw was held in Cádiz on 18 December of that year. The grand prize was for the number 03604. The first time the Christmas draw was held was in 1818, and it was first officially named the Christmas Lottery in 1892. The lottery takes place annually on 22 December, and the total prize pool is €2.7 billion, divided into thousands of prizes. The smallest prize is the reintegro, where tickets that end with the same last digit as the First Prize get their money back. This means that 10% of all tickets get their money back. The top prize, El Gordo, awards €400,000 per décimo, with the first €40,000 of any prize being tax-free. The remaining amount is taxed at a rate of 20%.
The Spanish Christmas Lottery is deeply rooted in Spanish culture, and the odds of winning some prize are 15.38%, which is a significantly higher winning rate than most other lotteries. The prize structure makes it easier to win some money, and it is common for winners to share their prizes with family, friends, co-workers, and neighbours. Tickets are sold in official lottery shops throughout the country, as well as by street sellers, and it is possible to buy a fraction of a décimo (one-tenth ticket) through various organisations. It is also possible to purchase tickets outside of Spain, usually online.
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Lotería Nacional history
The Lotería Nacional, or the Spanish Christmas Lottery, is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world, with its first draw held on 4 March 1812. The first Lotería Nacional draw held at Christmas took place on 18 December 1812 in Cádiz, and the grand prize was for the number 03604. The first time that the Christmas draw was deemed 'extraordinary' was in 1818, and the first time the name Sorteo de Navidad was officially used was in 1897.
The Spanish Christmas Lottery is deeply rooted in Spanish culture, with an estimated 70-90% of the adult population participating each year. The lottery is unique in that it creates thousands of winners by distributing its winnings widely. There are only 100,000 ticket numbers, ranging from 00000 to 99999, and each number is printed on multiple décimos. A décimo, or "a tenth of a ticket", is the most common ticket purchased, costing €20. The total prize pool is €2.7 billion, divided into thousands of prizes. The top prize, El Gordo, awards €400,000 per décimo.
The odds of winning some prize at the Extraordinary Christmas Draw of Lotería Nacional are 1:6.5, or a 15.38% chance. One of the most iconic aspects of the draw is that children sing the winning numbers. These children come from the San Ildefonso school in Madrid, which has been responsible for this tradition since the lottery began. The school was originally founded to support orphaned children and continues to assist children in vulnerable situations today.
Tickets are sold in official lottery shops throughout the country, as well as by street sellers. It is common for a shop to sell a ticket number in all series, meaning that all the winners of that ticket will have purchased their tickets from that location. This can lead to a small village full of grand prize winners, and these locations often become sites of lottery pilgrimage.
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![A Nanny for Christmas [Español]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fhv5bvEZL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
The winning number
The odds of winning some prize in the Extraordinary Christmas Draw of Lotería Nacional are approximately 15.38%, making it more likely to win a prize in this lottery compared to others. The prize structure is designed to distribute winnings widely, creating thousands of winners. This differs from other lotteries where a single winner claims a massive prize.
The Christmas lottery in Spain is more than just a game of chance; it's a cultural phenomenon that brings people together and offers the hope of a life-changing windfall. The winning number represents not just a monetary prize but also a chance for celebration and a sense of community for those lucky enough to match the elusive "El Gordo."
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Frequently asked questions
The Christmas Lottery in Spain, officially called La Lotería de Navidad, is the largest lottery in the world. It takes place annually on December 22 and is deeply rooted in Spanish culture, with an estimated 70-90% of the adult population participating each year.
The tickets of the Christmas Lottery in Spain, also known as billets, have five-digit numbers, ranging from 00000 to 99999. Each number is printed on 1,930 décimos, or "tenths of a ticket," which is the most common type of ticket purchased.
The grand prize of the Christmas Lottery in Spain is called El Gordo, which means "The Fat One." It awards €400,000 per décimo.
The winning numbers of the Christmas Lottery in Spain are drawn by children from the San Ildefonso school in Madrid. The children sing out the winning numbers and their corresponding prizes, which are picked from two giant rolling drums.
