El Gordo offers tourists a chance to leave Spain a millionaire. Wouldn’t that be the trip of a lifetime?! I wish I could tell that story, but alas, I was grateful to win 20 Euros and break even on this little adventure. I have to admit that playing the lottery was an odd thing to add to my Spanish itinerary. However, El Gordo is a big deal in Spain around the Christmas holiday, and so it was fun to participate even if we didn’t come out any richer. We did get to share in a little glimpse of Spanish excitement and community.
What is the El Gordo lottery?
El Gordo means “the big one” or “the fat one.” It gets its name because of its large prize; seventy percent of ticket sales is redistributed in prize money. It’s total prize money make it one of the largest lotteries in the world. And there are some pretty cool things about this lottery that make it more special than just another Powerball ticket.
Starting with it’s history, this lottery goes back ages. 1812 to be exact, and it has never missed a year. This lottery was first introduced in Cadiz during the Spanish War of Independence to increase state income. The winning numbers were drawn by orphans, and the lottery has also funded charities.
The drawing for the winning number(s) happens every year on December 22, and it kicks off the Christmas holiday for Spaniards. Since approximately 75% of Spaniards hold tickets, you can guess what everyone in the country is doing during the drawing!
What I appreciated most about this lottery, is that the jackpot is divided, making many winners. It really spreads the holiday cheer. A single lottery ticket is 200 Euros – expensive on all accounts. So tickets are reprinted and sold as portions of a ticket. For example, a 200 Euro ticket is sold as ‘decimos’ costing 20 Euros for a 10th of the ticket’s win. We purchased a decimo when we played. This means that the winner holding a decimo ticket, receives 1/10th of the winnings.
Where it gets even cooler is that families, coworkers, friends, etc., often go in together to buy the full 200 Euro ticket. When they win, often 10 people in the same community win money (or more, depending how it was divided). There are many stories I read online about how families have created traditions around El Gordo, such as playing an ancestor’s number or always buying the ticket from a particular place. And there are even more heart-warming stories about winners and how the money positively affected families and communities, especially during hard times in the past century, such as the Great Depression or other subsequent recession(s). This lottery isn’t just about the “self,” it is about seeing people you love win too.
How to Play El Gordo in Spain
As a tourist, I felt a little bit uneasy about buying a ticket. I don’t speak much more than a few Spanish words. And I wasn’t sure how complicated buying a portion of a lottery ticket could be. But, I am very happy to report, that it could not have been any easier for me. I saw a lottery booth at Puerta del Sol in Madrid, got in the short line, pointed at the ticket I wanted and said El Gordo decimo, the man spoke English at that point, and I made a quick transaction using my credit card! I was prepared to relinquish one of my highly prized 20 EUR bills, but that wasn’t even necessary.
The lottery numbers the booth is selling are shown in the window. So a person can shop around and look for the lottery numbers they want (generally focusing on the last numbers). I chose the one that spoke to me in the moment. Lottery tickets go on sale as early as July, so many numbers may already be taken if you are visiting close to the drawing.
El Gordo Ticket and Prizes
The lottery ticket looked really cool. I imagined it similar to a winning Charlie Wonka chocolate factory tickets. It felt so official and valuable for a piece of paper. And it was only 1/10 of an actual ticket.
The back of the ticket provided information on the number of prizes. In 2023, the winning number was 88008. This number won $4 million (Euros), a decimo ticket could claim 1/10th. 88007 and 88009 each won 20K EUR. 880** and ***08 each won 1K EUR. Tickets ending with 8 (****8) won 200 EUR. My ticket ended with the number 8 so I got 1/10th of the 200 EUR prize. The full breakdown as well as other prizes are shown here for each year.
Photo above: The front of my decimo El Gordo ticket from Dec. 2023. My number was 37368.
Photo above: The back of my ticket providing important information like where I bought it, the prizes available, and the lottery agent’s website.
Claiming Your Winnings
I had plans to buy a decimo in every additional city we visited on our trip (Seville, Granada, and Cordoba), but Spain had so many cool things to see and do, that once I had one ticket, I just didn’t get around to buying more. I also forgot to tune into the drawing on December 22 at 9am. So, when I realized I had missed the drawing, I looked online for the winning ticket. I was able to enter in my number and learned I won 20 EUR. I returned to Madrid on December 23 and cashed in my ticket at the same place I had bought it. And, it was as easy to cash in as it was to buy. So don’t feel intimidated if you want to try your own luck. Buying a ticket is super easy, and apparently, it’s also easier to win something in this lottery, than most others. So best of luck!
More articles about the lottery
The Christmas Lottery; El Periodico.
‘El Gordo’ and its $2.4 billion jackpot draw crowds to Spain’s luckiest lottery shop; Market Watch.
The World’s Biggest Lottery; Time Magazine.
All you need to know about Spanish El Gordo Lottery 2022; Blog of Loteria Berenguela.
Families playing the world’s largest lottery in Spain vie for the El Gordo or ‘fat’ prize; ABC News.
Spain begins drawing for the $2.7 billion ‘El Gordo’ lottery; The Associated Press [Morehead State Public Radio].
El Gordo: Struggling Spanish town wins fortune from lottery; BBC News.
