Play The Spanish Christmas Lottery El Gordo Navidad

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Overview
  • Draw day and time : December 22nd
  • Numbers to pick : Fixed Numbers
  • Jackpot Winning Odds: 1:100,000
  • Any Prize Winning odds : 1:6.5
  • Biggest Jackpot: €4,000,000

In the world of lottery jackpot is king, and there’s no bigger jackpot than that of the Spanish Christmas Lottery. Also known as El Gordo Lotería de Navidad, this lottery raffle attracts players from around the world. I’ll explain exactly why.

Every December 22nd, Lotería Nacional has the biggest and most popular draw of the year. On that day about 90% of Spain’s eligible population take part in a state-owned lottery celebration with a draw of €2,380,000,000 in prizes. That’s about $2,805,000,000, in case you wonder. There are 170 series of tickets with a 5 digit number. That means, there are 17,000,000 tickets. Each ticket costs €200. Each winning number share the prize between the 170 series.

The History of the Spanish Christmas Lottery

Before we dive into the rules of the game and how you can play it, let’s take a look at when it all started.

When Did the Spanish Christmas Lottery Start

Lotería Nacional is the second-longest continuously running lottery game in the history of work lotto. It held the first draw on March 4th 1812, and the first Christmas draw on December 18th of the same year. The draw is held in Cádiz, Spain. The grand prize number was 03604.

The first players were introduced to the name Christmas Lottery (Sorteo de Navidad) was in the draw of 1892.

Why Did the Spanish Christmas Lottery Start

In 1811, during the invasion of Span by Napoleon, the lottery was used to generate money to fund the war. However, people’s interest in the lottery fell because they did not want to generate money for war.

The Rules of the Spanish Christmas Lottery

You know a little more about the history of this great lottery, not let’s learn about its rules.

How to Play Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

Unlike many lotteries where you can choose the numbers you are going to play one by one; the Christmas lottery has a slightly different format than the rest – one very similar to raffles. El Gordo de Navidad tickets already come with a 5-digit numerical combination that goes from 00000 to 99999. There are ticket numbers of 10,000 combinations.

El Gordo lottery raffle ticket

El Gordo lottery raffle ticket

Each ticket is printed 170 times and is issued to one of 170 series. If you buy, for example, a ticket with the numbers 54321, another 169 people could have a ticket with the same number as you. In case this number draws, all 170 tickets win the millionaire prize. This is one of the reasons for the popularity of the Spanish Lottery. Each prize tier is shared between 170 lucky ticket holders. This ensures there are hundreds of happy winners.

Who Can Play Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

Players have to be at least 18 years of age to participate in Spanish lotteries. The Spanish Christmas lottery can be played by anyone in the world, Spain residents, non-residents and foreigners. Note, all winnings over €2,500 are subject to a 20% tax. This is regardless of whether or not the winnings are taken out of pain.

In the past, there was a law that states lottery wins from Spain must stay within the state boundaries. But the Spanish legislator changed that law in January 2013.

The Winning Terms

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The Odds of Winning a Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

Another reason this raffle is a favourite of many lottery players is the odds. The winning odds are some of the best among all other world games. For example, the odds of winning the jackpot is 1 in 100,000. It is a much higher probability than other favourite lotteries – EuroMillions is 1 in 11,6531,800.

TierDescriptionOdds
1Jackpot (El Gordo)1:100,000
22nd prize1:100,000
33rd prize1:100,000
44th prize1:50,000
55th prize1:12,500
6La Pedrea (Consolation Prize)1:56
7Numbers before and after "El Gordo"1:50,000
8Numbers before and after 2nd prize1:50,000
9Numbers before and after 3rd prize1:50,000
10First 3 digits of "El Gordo"1:1,010
11First 3 digits of 2nd prize1:1,010
12First 3 digits of 3rd prize1:1,010
13First 3 digits of 4th prize1:505
14Last 2 digits of "El Gordo"1:100
15Last 2 digits of 2nd prize1:100
16Last 2 digits of 3rd prize1:100
17Last digit as "El Gordo" 1:10
AnyAny1:6.5

Payments and Costs for Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

A raffle ticket costs €200 at a local Spanish kiosk. This is a high entry point for many. Luckily, online lottery agents provide their players with the option of buying a share of a ticket – most likely 1/100 of a ticket per share. This drops the cost significantly. You’ll have to share the winnings, but this is a great option to participate with multiple raffle tickets and enjoy a once in a year lottery celebration.

Prize Breakdown

We all aim for the jackpot, but other prize tiers of the Christmas Lottery are decent complementary.

TierDescriptionPrizeQuantityTotal Prize Per Tier
1Jackpot (El Gordo)€4,000,0001€4,000,000
22nd prize€1,250,0001€1,250,000
33rd prize€500,0001€500,000
44th prize€200,0002€400,000
55th prize€60,0008€480,000
6La Pedrea (Consolation Prize)€1,0001,794€1,794,000
7Numbers before and after "El Gordo"€20,0002€40,000
8Numbers before and after 2nd prize€12,5002€25,000
9Numbers before and after 3rd prize€9,6002€19,200
10First 3 digits of "El Gordo"€1,00099€99,000
11First 3 digits of 2nd prize€1,00099€99,000
12First 3 digits of 3rd prize€1,00099€99,000
13First 3 digits of 4th prize€1,000198€198,000
14Last 2 digits of "El Gordo"€1,000999€999,000
15Last 2 digits of 2nd prize€1,000999€999,000
16Last 2 digits of 3rd prize€1,000999€999,000
17Last digit as "El Gordo" €2009,999€1,999,800
Total Per Serie15,304€14,000,000
Total Per Raffle2,601,680€2,380,000,000

Claiming the Prize Money

All Spanish lotteries have the same process for claiming the prize money. Prizes can be claimed at the lottery offices or online. For those who have won online, the money will be transferred to the registered account. However, websites have different rules on the ceiling amount that can be transferred. It is advised that the players refer to their respective website.

For those who are claiming at the office, the first step is to take the ticket for checking. The ticket will be verified by an electronic machine. Once it has been confirmed that the ticket has won, the machine will also show the amount that has been won. If the machine shows the ticket to be invalid, irrespective of the numbers drawn, the ticket will be void.

After verification, any prize that is €600 or below will be paid directly by the lottery offices. For large amounts, the winning ticket will have to be taken to the winner’s bank. The bank will copy the ticket, sign a receipt on the ticket and keep the original ticket with it. The bank will then contact the lottery office to confirm the winning and the validity of the ticket. Once this is confirmed, the prize money will be transferred to the winner’s bank account. The prize must be claimed within the next 60-90 days.

Winning Prize El Gordo The Christmas Lottery

Winning Prize El Gordo The Christmas Lottery

Tax Payments for Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

The Spanish lotteries charge 20% tax on lotteries for all prize monies above €2500.

The previous law demanded There is also an additional tax to be paid if the prize money is transferred outside Spanish borders. Players playing from another country must check with their country laws to ensure that they can play the lotteries in Spain. Similarly, they should also consult with an attorney since the Spanish lotteries require that the prize money stays in the country.

Good Causes Supported by the Spanish Christmas El Gordo Navidad Lottery

The Spanish Christmas lotteries are part of Spanish lotteries. Since lotteries in Spain are country-owned, all the profits from the operation are put in a central fund. This fund finances many activities for good causes. The Spanish lotteries have always contributed to good causes. The revenue from the lotteries helped the country rebuild itself after the Spanish war. 55% of the revenue from lotteries goes back to the prizes and the balance amount goes to the state pool.

What Do You Mean by Lotto Celebration

The word celebration is in context here. The draw is a celebration that people watch even if they didn’t buy a ticket.

During the Christmas El Gordo raffle, the children’s choir of the second oldest school in Madrid, the San Ildefonso School, sings all the numbers and the prizes. And if you thought you misunderstood, well no, they sing the drawn numbers! – This may be the reason why the raffle can last for more than 3 hours.

SUMMARY

The Spanish Christmas Lotteries (El Gordo) is the most popular game in the world and the second-longest played game. This is an experience worth having at least once.

Where to Play the Christmas Lottery

If I got you curious about this grand celebration, start by picking one of the top lottery agents. If you want to skip the comparison, I suggest you try Lotto Agent.

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