With billions of euros handed out in prize money every year, the Spanish Christmas lottery is the biggest in the world and is one of the most popular lotteries in Spain. It is also one of the oldest lotteries in the world, having been established in 1812. The name “El Gordo” means “the fat one” in Spanish, and refers to the fact that the lottery has a very large jackpot.
With ticket sales starting as early as mid-July, the excitement surrounding the Spanish Christmas lottery takes up a good portion of the year. It all culminates at 9 a.m. on December 22, when millions all over the country tune in to watch the winning numbers being drawn.
It might surprise first-time viewers of the lottery drawing telecast to see that those who do the honors are actually children. They reach into two large vessels onstage and pull out one small wooden ball at a time from each: one with the ticket number, and one with the prize money to be associated with that number. As they pick the numbers and prizes, they sing them out loud.
The El Gordo lottery is a “pool” lottery, which means that there are multiple winners. In fact, there are usually around 180,000 winners in the El Gordo lottery. The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 100,000, which is much better than most lotteries.
If you are looking for a lottery with a large jackpot and good odds of winning, then the El Gordo lottery is a good choice.
Lottery tickets are available from Casa Rural Pinoso for the benefit of the residents of Ubeda and cost €23 per décimo