
Draw Days
Every 22 December in Madrid
El Gordo—a lottery so big all you have to do is say its name to feel the force of it. With as high as a 98% rate of participation among Spanish-resident adults and a record payout of over €2.5 billion for a single draw, this is the Godzilla of lotteries. An annual Christmas draw, Spaniards delight in the holiday cheer with 17 extraordinary prize categories and thousands of winning combinations.
There are so many amazing features to the Christmas Lottery. With jackpot odds approximately an amazing 1/100,000, overall estimated odds an even more amazing 1/7, at least 70% of ticket sales contributing to the prize pool of over €2 billion, and an estimated mind-boggling total number of prizes pushing 2.5 million, you can’t miss out on the biggest event of the holiday season—El Gordo!
El Gordo is the largest of three annual Sorteo Extraordinario raffles in Spain and they all have similar draw formats and ticket-allocation methods. Raffle tickets (billetes) each contain a five-digit number. Each billete is printed multiple times in their own series (serie) due to the popularity of the raffle; the amount of serie produced varies year to year. Identical billetes will each have their own unique serie number. A décima is the equivalent of a tenth of a billete and can be purchased individually in exchange for a tenth of the prize amount. The product of serie and billete/décimas represent the grand total of shares at stake.
Each five-letter number and each prize value are laser printed on balls and placed respectively into two spherical drums (bombos), from where they are drawn to match a number with a prize. The raffle begins with La Pedrea prizes. Pedrea roughly translates to “stoning” or “avalanche” but here it refers to a “shower,” as in a “shower of prizes,” or less contextually, an “avalanche of pebbles.” La Pedrea symbolizes all of the secondary prizes before the raffle moves on to its jackpot, El Gordo!
With such a distinctive flavour of course comes a storied history and a very unique format. Formally called, since 1892, the Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad (“Extraordinary Christmas Draw”) or the Lotería de Navidad (“Christmas Lottery”) for short, the lottery as a whole borrows its colloquial name, El Gordo (“The Big One” or “The Fat One”), from the nickname of its jackpot prize.
Its inaugural draw occurred in 1812 in the city of Cadiz; it shifted to Madrid two years later where it has stayed ever since. The winning numbers were sung aloud by students at the Colegio de Educación Infantil y Primaria San Ildefonso. The school primarily functioned as an orphanage in the 19th century, and it was believed that, as orphans, the children would be less susceptible to bribes or cheats in announcing the raffle results. And although a regular school now, for tradition its students still sing El Gordo numbers to this day.
Every 22 December in Madrid
Over €2 billion
Over €2 billion
Classic raffle format with unique methods for ticket assignment and prize allocation
Our exclusive, in-house bonus draw is one of the many little ways we say thank you to all of our customers. This special prize straight from us is worth an incredible €10,000 and is the lucky winner’s to keep, independent of any of their lottery winnings from The Lottery Centre (The Lottery Centre). What’s more, no additional purchase is required, as your entry into the draw is automatic. Think of it as a gift from our family to yours!
Prize Draw Rules:
No purchase is necessary for the Bonus-Prize Draw entry. To be eligible, follow the instructions in this offer. You will be entered in the first available draw on receipt of your entry. A new draw will be held every year on or about 31 December and the winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries received prior to that date. You must be 18 years of age or older to qualify. The prize winner will be notified by telephone or letter within 30 days of the draw. To obtain the name of the Prize Draw Winner send a self-addressed envelope to: "The Lottery Centre Grand-Prize Winner's Name," International Multi-Media Entertainments Limited (IMME), PO Box 206, 8 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM99 1YY. Please direct any other enquiries to this address at "ATTN: Customer-Service Department." The first prize is as stated herein. This Prize Draw is used in various other offers of International Multi-Media Entertainments Limited (IMME), also trading as The Lottery Centre. The first prize may be represented by cash, merchandise, or travel, depending on the promotion. Accordingly, it may be advertised using different graphic representations or featured prizes. Winners of travel or merchandise prizes may substitute a cash amount which will not exceed €10,000.00 or the equivalent amount in the winner’s preferred currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of drawing. The odds of winning vary depending upon the amount of entries received but will be the same for entrants who have purchased as for free entrants. Employees, agents, and contractors (and their family members) of International Multi-Media Entertainments Limited (IMME), also trading as The Lottery Centre, and its affiliated or associated companies are not eligible. Void where prohibited. The sponsor accepts no legal liability in the event of a dispute.Unfortunately, this lottery is not available for play in your country of residence.
But here at The Lottery Centre, we offer you the opportunity to play lotteries
from all over Europe, so your chances of experiencing the life of luxury are nearly endless.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
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PO Box 206, 8 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM99 1YY
The Lottery Centre is owned and operated by International Multi-Media Entertainments Limited. The Lottery Centre (International Multi-Media Entertainments Ltd.) strictly prohibits access and services to those under the legal age of 18. We encourage responsible gambling and if you feel that you have a problem with gambling please visit GamCare’s website for help and advice at www.gamcare.org.uk.