The traditional annual Christmas lottery on December 22 originated during the Napoleonic Wars in 1812 and has continued virtually uninterrupted since then.
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The Spanish lottery “El Gordo” was traditionally broadcast on December 22 – like every December 22 for over 200 years – and millions of euros were distributed in the Christmas draw.
“El Gordo” or “the jackpot” is the name of the first prize in the very popular Spanish national lottery, which is considered to be the largest in the world based on the total amount of prizesalthough other lotteries offer larger individual prizes.
This year's draw made it possible to distribute the total amount of 2.7 billion eurosalthough most of this was paid out in small winnings.
Several ticket holders with the winning number 72480 won the first prize, worth 400,000 euros before taxes.
The winning tickets were sold in Logroño, a town in the La Rioja region of northern Spain known for its wines.
Multiple tickets with the same number can be sold to different groups and full tickets are divisible into 10 parts.
Buying and sharing these fractions, known in Spanish as “decimos” or tenths, is a popular tradition in the run-up to Christmas.
Families, friends and work colleagues often participate, usually spending 20 euros each.
As tradition dictates, students from the San Ildefonso school in Madrid chose the numbers from two rotating orbs at the capital's Teatro Real opera house and took turns singing them for almost five hours, in a cadence very particular well known to the Spanish.
After “El Gordo” was announced, spectators – some of whom were dressed as Don Quijote, Christmas elves, biblical wise men and tickets from the lottery itself – began streaming out of the hall, from where the event was broadcast on national television.
María Ángeles, a teacher from the southwestern province of Badajoz, said she waited in line for hours to get a seat inside the opera house to attend the event with a group of 14 friends and family who had traveled to Madrid.
“The whole point of coming to watch the lottery is hope,” Ángeles said. She estimates that no one in her group earned more than 140 euros.
The principle of the lottery is to distribute the greatest number of winning numbers to as many people as possible.
There are hundreds of small prizes and 13 grand prizes, including the “El Gordo” jackpot.
In the weeks leading up to the drawing, queues form in front of lottery offices, especially those that have sold winning tickets in previous years.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Spanish Christmas lottery, which takes place on December 22, originated during the Napoleonic Wars in 1812 and has continued virtually uninterrupted since then, making it the world's oldest lottery.
The name “Sorteo de Navidad” (Christmas draw) was first used in 1892.
The students of the San Ildefonso school have been singing the prizes since the beginning.
The Spanish National Lottery was established as a charity in 1763 by Bourbon King Carlos III.
ADVERTISEMENTIt was then used to replenish the state coffers, but today supports various charities.
