‘El Gordo’: How to participate in Spain’s famous Christmas lottery

IT IS December once more, and for many Spaniards and non-Spanish residents, this is the indicator that something very exciting is coming up fast at the end of the month … and no, it is actually not Christmas, though many are excited for that, too. Monday, December 22 is the day of Spain’s famous national Christmas lottery, also called El Gordo, and practically the whole country will screech to a halt to participate in the draw and hope to come away with some major winnings.

What is the El Gordo lottery?

The El Gordo – or “Fat One” – lottery has become a famed Spanish tradition and only happens once a year, always on December 22. The largest Christmas lottery in the world, an estimated 70 to 90 per cent of the adult population in Spain participates each year, also making it one of the biggest events of the whole year in the country. It gets its name for its large and highly-coveted jackpot.

The lottery began in 1812 as a method to raise funds for Spanish troops during the Peninsular War. Since then, the lottery has become the longest-running one in Spain and the second-longest running lottery in the world, surviving the Spanish Civil War and the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Since its inception, a curious and famed aspect of the lottery has been the children’s choir who will actually sing the winning numbers. The children come from the San Ildefonso school in Madrid, who have been responsible for singing the numbers since the beginning of the El Gordo tradition. The school was originally founded to support orphaned children, and today, the draw generates some €350,000 annually to help fund its programmes and support the students.

How much does a ticket cost?

A full ticket, called a billete, costs €200. However, the most common ticket people buy is the décimo, which means “a tenth of a ticket” and costs €20. There are 100,000 ticket numbers, ranging from 00000 to 99999, and each number is printed on 1,930 décimos.

Tickets can be purchased through official lottery offices, authorised retailers, or certain official online platforms (though participants should be careful to choose a site that is official, as unofficial websites tend to overcharge for tickets). It is recommended to buy them at official ticket offices in your town or city. Participants must be at least 18 years of age, and tickets for this year’s draw can already be purchased for the lottery, having gone on sale in July 2025.

How does the draw work?

Two lottery drums are used: a larger one with balls for each of the 100,000 ticket numbers, and a smaller one with balls that represent all the prizes. During the draw, one ball is simultaneously drawn from each drum, repeating the process until the smaller drum containing the prizes is emptied.

How do the prizes work … and what is the big jackpot?

The El Gordo Christmas lottery distributes its winnings widely, creating thousands of winners.

There are only 100,000 ticket numbers, ranging from 00000 to 99999, and each number is printed on 1,930 décimos, which are the most common tickets people buy.

The total prize pool is €2.7 billion, divided into thousands of prizes. The top prize, the coveted El Gordo, awards €400,000 per décimo. There is a 1 in 100,000 chance of taking home the top prize for the lottery.

The prizes are as follows, from largest to smallest:

• El Gordo jackpot: €400,000 per décimo.
• The second prize: €125,000 per décimo.
• The third prize: €50,000 per décimo.
• The fourth prize: €20,000 per décimo, given to two numbers.
• The fifth prize: €6,000 per décimo, given to eight numbers.
• The pedreas: €100, given to nearly 2,000 numbers.
• The reintegro: Winners receive their €20 back if their ticket’s last digit matches the last digit of the winning number.

Are the winnings taxed?

The first €40,000 of any given prize is tax-free. For prizes that surpass the €40,000 threshold, the first €40,000 remains tax free and the remaining amount is taxed at a rate of 20 per cent.

If you win the El Gordo jackpot, for example, which awards €400,000 per décimo, you would receive a net amount of €328,000 after taxes. 

Where and what time will the draw be?

The draw is held on December 22 at 9:00am, and is held at Madrid’s Teatro Real. The draw will last more than four hours, and will be highly televised and accessible from many locations.

Is there anything I can do to amp up my luck?

There are several quirky Spanish traditions that you could do that are believed to up your luck and help you win big in the lottery. Some people line up to buy the ticket at places believed to bring good luck, travel to other cities to buy tickets, rub the ticket on something lucky, let someone else pick the number, keep the ticket in a special place like the Bible or a freezer, or wear a lucky colour when picking.

When it comes to El Gordo, no effort is too much. Many Spaniards swear by their strange and quirky rituals, and one never knows if they may end up bringing the magic on December 22, to walk away with the coveted El Gordo jackpot.

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