Spanish Christmas Lottery at Lottoland

Table of contents:

• WHAT IS EL GORDO DE NAVIDAD?
• HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY
• EL GORDO - MORE THAN JUST TRADITION
• £640 MILLION IN FIRST PRIZE PAYOUTS
• THE EL GORDO TV ADS: BOX OFFICE GOLD!
• BET ON THE SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY FROM THE UK

WHAT IS EL GORDO DE NAVIDAD?

The Spanish Christmas lottery is officially called Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad (literally "Extraordinary Christmas Draw") but it is popularly referred to as El Gordo de Navidad, ("The Fat One of Christmas") or simply El Gordo. Although technically, El Gordo refers to the jackpot itself and this term is also used for other Spanish lotteries.

El Gordo de Navidad is the largest lottery in the world with a new total prize pool of €2.59 billion (£2.3 billion). Why not try your luck this year with a bet on the Spanish Christmas lottery with Lottoland El Gordo?

HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY

The Spanish National Lottery (Lotería Nacional) is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world and was conceived at the height of the Peninsular War (or Spanish War of Independence, as it is better known in Spain).

In 1808, French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Spain, which had previously been its ally. 

The port city of Cádiz, in southern Spain, held out against the French and in 1810, Cádiz claimed legitimacy as the sole representative of Spanish sovereignty.

In 1811, the Spanish parliament in Cádiz approved the first Spanish National Lottery, which was the brainchild of Ciriaco González Carvajal, the Minister of the Council and Chamber of the Indies. The lottery was set up as "a means to increase the revenue of the public treasury without loss to the taxpayer" and thus raise money for the state coffers in order to fund the cost of the War of Independence.

1812 is a very significant date in Spanish history. Following its approval the previous year, the draw for the first Spanish National Lottery took place on March 4, 1812, and shortly after, on March 19, Spain's first constitution was signed in Cádiz. The first Spanish National Lottery which took place at Christmas time was held on 18 December 1812.

The first prize was 8,000 pesos fuertes and the cost of the ticket was 40 reales (1 peso fuerte = 8 reales). The winning ticket number was 03604.

In 1892, the Christmas draw has held on 23 December and in 1897, the name Sorteo de Navidad first appeared on the ticket. 

By the 1930s, the tradition of El Gordo de Navidad was so strong that not even the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) could stop it from taking place. In fact, in 1938, two lotteries were held, one in Barcelona and the other in Burgos.

Although the first winning tickets were drawn in Cádiz, for more than 100 years, the draw has been held in Madrid, apart from during the years of the Civil War, when it was also held in Valencia as well as the previously mentioned cities.  

22 December is now a red-letter day in the calendars of the Spanish people and according to estimates, more than 75% of the adult population of Spain are eagerly awaiting the annual announcement of the winning numbers and now so can the Brits!

EL GORDO - MORE THAN JUST TRADITION

The Spirit of Christmas is all about sharing with others, connecting with friends and family and being generous. No other lottery in the world embodies this as much as the Spanish El Gordo de Navidad.

The draw itself is a spectacle like no other lottery. Two gigantic spherical cages are used during the process. Inside the larger of these are 100,000 wooden balls, each emblazoned with five-digit numbers from 00000 to 99999. The smaller sphere contains 1,807 balls, with a number representing the euro amount. One ball from both cages is released at the same time to match a number with its prize, and this continues until the smaller sphere is empty. As you can imagine, this takes quite some time.

Since 1871, children from the San Ildefonso school (originally an orphanage) have drawn the balls and proceed to sing out the numbers in a jovial manner. 

Since 2012, the draw has taken place at the Teatro Real in Madrid and curiously, many members of the public who attend the live draw dress up in lottery-themed fancy dresses!

What makes the Christmas lottery so unique compared to other international lotteries is the way in which the winnings are distributed among the lot buyers. First, 70% of total revenue is paid out in prizes - a much higher amount than is usual with other lotteries. And second, it ensures that as many prizes as possible are distributed among the population. The price for a ticket is relatively high, which is why most Spaniards buy only shares called décimos ("tenths") rather than a full share, meaning that the joy of a win can be shared between many people.

£640 MILLION IN FIRST PRIZE PAYOUTS

The top prize (El Gordo) is 'only' four million euros, but the good news is that this amount will be paid out 185 times. This means that a whopping €740 million (approximately £640 million) is paid out in total in the first prize class waiting to be won by the people. In addition, there are many smaller prizes such as La Pedrea (loosely translated as "avalanche of pebbles"), generated in the lower classes to boost that Christmas cheer.

Some stores have become very famous as sellers of lottery tickets. El Gordo fans stand in line for hours just to buy a ticket from these supposedly 'lucky' outlets such as Doña Manolita in Madrid and La Bruixa d'Or in Lleida.

Lottery numbers that have some significance to people tend to be particularly popular. In 2015, among other things, the number 28915 quickly sold out because this represented the date of the total eclipse in that year.

Since many shares with the same number are delivered to the sales outlets in a particular village, town or region, in the event of a win, there is often an outbreak of celebrations for that whole region if the number comes out of the draw. 

One extreme example occurred in 2011 when almost every single inhabitant of the small town of Sodeto received a windfall after their ticket won a big prize in the lottery. In 2013 the town of Mondragón, hit hard by the economic crisis, was able to bring around €160 million (approximately £140 million) into the northern Basque region when they hit the big time. You could probably hear the popping of the champagne corks in Madrid.

2015 was also a celebrated year for the Spanish Christmas Lottery at Lottoland. A small syndicate from Wolfsburg in Germany showed just how to hit the biggest lottery in the world when they bet on share number 79140 and nabbed the maximum profit of €4 million (approximately £3.5 million).

In 2022, the prize pool increased to a whopping €2.5 billion (£2.1 billion) and in 2023 the prize pool increased again to €2.6 billion (£2.2 billion)! So whoever wins will have a very merry Christmas indeed. 

THE EL GORDO TV ADS: BOX OFFICE GOLD!

Traditionally, the way to tell that Christmas season in Spain has arrived is when the TV commercial for the Spanish Christmas lottery hits the screens. Get ready now for a touch of pathos and a story to tug on the heartstrings, elaborately produced to highlight the true strength of the biggest lottery in the world: the shared joy of giving a gift even before the big giveaway.

The 2021 version of the Christmas Lottery video was filmed in the snowy and picturesque town of Elizondo, Navarra. The advert truly shows the Christmas Spirit and beautifully resonates with El Gordo's motto el mayor premio es compartirlo ("the greatest prize is to share it").

In 2022, there were three TV commercials for El Gordo that were published.

We chose our favourite Christmas Lottery video of 2022 below which shows an emotional video about a retired shepherd called Esteban, who lives in a remote mountain village. After receiving an unexpected call, he undertakes an unexpected journey. The story about an extraordinary journey reflects the extraordinary draw that El Gordo is. 

In the latest 2023 version, set in Madrid, captures the daily routines and holiday preparations.

The ad captures moments like turning off the alarm clock, having breakfast, going to work, and fulfilling commitments with family and friends. These ordinary activities intertwine with special occasions marking the approaching Christmas season, such as buying gifts, reserving tables for festive dinners, and purchasing lottery tickets for the December 22 draw. The central message of the ad is that the greatest luck lies in the company of loved ones.

BET ON THE SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY FROM THE UK

With Lottoland you don't need to head over to Spain in order to enjoy the fun. You can simply place a bet with Lottoland on the outcome of the Spanish Christmas Lottery to win the same value prizes. Check out our Christmas Lottery Page and wait for the 22nd of December to discover the outcome of this generous lottery. 

Good luck and ¡Feliz Navidad!

Last Updated: 18th December 2023