What is the Spanish Christmas Lottery?
The “Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad” is an annual lottery that takes place on 22nd December in Madrid, Spain. It is the biggest lottery in the world as measured by prize pool size. The estimated prize pool for this year’s draw is currently €2.6 billion (approx. $4.6 billion NZD).
The main jackpot prize is known as “El Gordo” – a huge €4,000,000 (approx. $6.8m NZD) payout!
At Lottoland, you can bet on the outcome of the draw and win the same prizes as if you had bought a ticket for the official draw.
How do Spanish people celebrate this huge Christmas tradition?
In Spain, more than 90℅ of the population celebrates this fantastic chance to receive the Christmas gift of a lifetime. The drawing of the winning numbers is a major highlight of the Spanish festive season, with family and friends coming together in homes, restaurants, taverns and town squares across the country to watch it all unfold. Children from an orphanage founded with lottery money even sing the numbers out as the draw takes place!
How does the Spanish Christmas Lottery work?
The Spanish Christmas Lottery works more like a raffle than a lottery. There are no lottery balls; instead, there are two huge drums that contain all the purchased tickets – just like a raffle.
Each ticket has a number between 00000 and 99999. When the draw takes place, players win a prize if the numbers on their ticket match those on a ticket drawn from the drum.
The total prize pool is broken down into prize “tiers”, each with a varying number of prizes on offer: for example, there is only one “El Gordo” first prize drawn, but the sixth tier, known as “La Pedrea”, has 1794 prizes of €1,000!
The draw for all the various prize tiers takes place in Madrid on 22nd December and lasts around 3 hours.
More than one person can buy the same number
In the Spanish Christmas Lottery, there are multiple copies or “series” of tickets, which means more than one person can have the same ticket number.
There are 185 “series” in total, so 185 sets of tickets from 00000 to 99999. This means that up to 185 people can potentially have the same ticket number and EACH win the ENTIRE first prize of €4,000,000.
You can buy shares of ticket numbers
Each ticket is made up of 10 shares, meaning you can actually buy a 1/10th single share of a ticket, otherwise known as a décimo. This costs 1/10th of the usual ticket price and returns 1/10th of any prize it might win.
For example:
If a ticket number wins the “El Gordo” first prize, then the holder of a “full” ticket would win €4m. A player that holds only a single 1/100th share of that ticket would win 1/100th of the prize – €40,000.
How does playing the Spanish Christmas Lottery at Lottoland work?
At Lottoland you are betting on the outcome of the Spanish Christmas Lottery draw. You choose a five-digit number between 00000 and 99999 that you think will be drawn at the official draw in Madrid on 22nd December.
If your number is drawn, then your ticket will win the same prize as if you had purchased a ticket for the official draw in Spain.
If you choose a “full” ticket, you will receive the full cash amount for that prize tier. If you bought a share of a ticket, you will receive a percentage of the prize money equivalent to your share.
How do I get a ticket in the Spanish Christmas Lottery at Lottoland?
Click on the Christmas Lottery tab and then start by choosing your number. This is a five-digit number from 00000 – 99999.
Next, choose whether you want to buy a full ticket or a share of a ticket. A full number costs $349.99, but you can buy a 1/100th share of a ticket for as little as $6.99.
Finally, click ‘Submit’ to be taken through to the shopping cart where you can complete your purchase.
How much does it cost to play the Spanish Christmas Lottery at Lottoland?
The cost of your ticket will depend on the share of ticket you decide to purchase.
Our cheapest share is 1/100th of a ticket for $6.99.
However, the larger the ticket share, the more you save. For instance, if you purchase a full number, you’ll pay just $349.99 – a huge saving of 50%!
| Prize share | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1/100th | $6.99 | |
| 1/50th | $12.99 | Save 7% |
| 1/20th | $29.99 | Save 14% |
| 1/10th | $49.99 | Save 28% |
| 1/5th | $89.99 | Save 36% |
| 1/2th | $209.99 | Save 40% |
| 1/1 | $349.99 | Save 50% |
As an example, if you bought a 1/5th ticket on the Spanish Christmas Lottery, it would cost you $89.99 and you could win a maximum jackpot of €4m divided by 5, which would be €800,000
What are the odds of winning the “El Gordo” jackpot?
One of the reasons the Spanish Christmas Lottery holds so much appeal is its incredible odds of winning! The chances of you winning one of the El Gordo jackpots is 1 in 100,000, significantly better than your chances of winning the EuroMillions (1 : 116,531,800).
Your chances of winning money on the Spanish Christmas Lottery are about 1 : 10 and your chances of winning the price of your game back are 1 : 6.
Indeed, most Spanish children who often receive small shares as Christmas gifts from the time they are toddlers will have won at least some prize money by the time they are in their mid-teens! It truly is the feeling of “everyone wins” that makes the Spanish Christmas lottery such a special event!
How does DoubleJackpot work on the Spanish Christmas Lottery?
The DoubleJackpot on the Spanish Christmas Lottery allows you to play for twice the official amount on the first three prize tiers for double the price of the ticket. For instance, if you won the first prize tier having purchased a full ticket share, your ticket would cost $699.99 instead of $349.99, and instead of winning a €4m jackpot, you would win €8m.
It’s worth noting that Lottoland’s DoubleJackpot feature typically applies to the first prize only. Being in with a chance to win DOUBLE the first three prizes of the Spanish Christmas Lottery is a fantastic feature you’d be mad to miss out on!
What do I do if I win?
If your account has been verified, simply proceed to your account and withdraw your winnings. If your account has not been verified, you will first need to provide proof of your ID and proof of address. Once this has been confirmed, you will be able to withdraw your winnings.
Is the payout guaranteed? How do I know?
At Lottoland we can guarantee you will be paid out on your winnings - regardless of the jackpot amount.At Lottoland you bet on the outcome of the official draw. For all intents and purposes you will have the exact same customer experience as if you were playing the official lottery. The key difference is that we take your bet and we pay you if you win. We are able to achieve this in two ways.
For smaller prize tier payments we make the payment directly from the fund we have from the total ticket sales.
In order for us to make the larger prize tier payments we take out insurance policies to cover the eventuality of a Jackpot win or a substantial payout on the Lotto ticket. Part of the Lotto ticket price you pay goes towards the payment of this policy.
We are registered with and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, the Gibraltar Gambling Commission, and the Revenue Commissioners in Ireland. In order for us to retain these licences we have to prove that we are able to make the required payouts to our players should they win and that we have the correct procedures in place to guarantee this.
