The Christmas lottery in Spain

[Janet]

I'm often asked about the Christmas lottery – El Gordo – which is drawn just before Christmas every year with much fanfare. The tickets have a number and each is divided into tenths – décimos – which cost €20. So what you are buying for €20 is one tenth of one ticket. But, tickets come in "series" of up to around 200, which means each number is sold that many times, and the total prize money for any number is divided between the series. Therefore when a number comes up, the prize it wins is divided between the series, and then further divided down the décimos. To win the whole prize for a number, one would need to buy not only the ten décimos that make up the whole ticket, but every ticket in a series. A décimo costs €20, and a whole ticket €200 ... for the whole series, you'd be talking up to €40,000!

The overall prize is enormous – we are talking 2.24 billion Euros this year! This is the biggest lottery of them all, hence its name – El Gordo – but this enormous prize is the total prize pot. So, for example, you have a décimo of number 12345 and there's a series of 160 for that number. Then suppose it is drawn in fourth place, and the prize for fourth place is €200,000. So, you'd need to divide the prize of €200,000 by 160 (number of tickets in the series), which would give each ticket €1,250. You have a tenth of that ticket, however, so you'd actually only win €125. Most people who win the really big prizes actually win around half a million euros ... not so much the "fat" prize they might have been expecting!

El Gordo is marketed as tradition, and the whole thing is made magical, with the draw, which takes hours in total, televised live, lots of gold coloured decorations, big magical ball drums with singing children withdrawing the numbers, and so on. But the chances aren't great when you take into account that you have to match the number and then - if you have a décimo - win only a tenth of what that ticket is worth, which is the value of the total prize for that number divided by the number of tickets in the series all bearing the same number. The décimos cost a not insignificant €20, too, and the prizes are actually worse than some other lotteries. Really, what makes El Gordo the real "fat one" is that it's a massive revenue-generating exercise for the government. And, of course, winnings are now taxed!

I wouldn't wish to put anyone off buying a piece of a dream for Christmas, and El Gordo certainly has that fantasy feel about it, but I would say that the best bet is a Bonoloto ticket. These cost virtually nothing, have really comparatively quite decent prizes for winners, and the money goes to charity! An alternative is the primitiva ... much cheaper to play and bigger individual prizes!

This year's draw for El Gordo takes place on 22 December (link to buy a ticket online). The Christmas Primitiva draw takes place on the same day: the prize is €9.5m and tickets cost €1.50 (link to buy a ticket online). Bonoloto draws are on 23, 24, 25 and 27 December and the exact prize is to be announced, but will be up to €5m, with tickets costing €2 (link to buy a ticket online). Whichever lottery you participate in, I hope your lucky number comes up! JA

[Guanche]

I must admit I have always thought of it as a bit of a con, but as you rightly say Janet its more tradition than anything else. The wife has three tickets so far and I would expect she will go halves with some of the family before the big day. She has only ever won her money back on a number of tickets over the years.

It might be worth mentioning that some tickets sold in cafe's and such like have 3 euros added to the price. This 3 euro goes to charity.

[Nova]

I already have two décimos - more on the principle that my colleagues have other décimos of the same ticket and I'd be sick if they won and I hadn't joined in - so by the same argument I buy two to their one 

[NAH]

............(link to buy a ticket online). The Christmas Primitiva draw takes place on the same day: the prize is €9.5m and tickets cost €1.50 (link to buy a ticket online)......

No links 


Do you have to be resident in Spain to purchase tickets online?

[Janet]

Ah ... see my website for the live links ...

No, you can buy wherever, but I believe you can only win if you're resident ... that, at least, is the case I think with the Euromillions, that you can only win if you buy the ticket in the country where you reside. To be honest, I dunno with El Gordo et al ...

[Michael]

Every time i've been there i've seen a guy at Hospiten Sur selling some kind of ticket. He lays them all out on the wall and does a brisk trade.

What are they? 

[Nova]

Probably ONCE.......  I buy one of those from time to time after I pay out a prize in the bank, but I haven't been lucky yet.

[Janet]

Apparently foreigners CAN take part ...

[Janet]

If anyone wants to watch live, click HERE  ... it's started already.

[Guanche]

Good news for one lucky lady! A sister in law of one of my sisters in law has won over €120,000. She lives in the South. What makes it all the sweeter is that she's unemployed and her benefit runs out next month!



I have to go now as I have some begging letters to write