FAQ'S The Spanish Christmas Lottery ‘ElGordo de Navidad’ works differently to most lotteries in the world as it is run along the lines of a traditional raffle where a ticket is bought with a number already printed on it. Simply match the number on the ticket to the one that is drawn and you win 1st prize... seems easy enough! Well, not that easy because firstly there are 85000 different numbers which make up a whole ticket 'billete', each ‘billete’ is available in 185 'series' - that is, 185 lots of the same number. (and each ‘serie’ is allocated a prize fund of €3.000,000), then each ‘billete’ is divided into ten 'decimos' (tenths). So when buying your tickets you have the choice of buying a single decimo, a whole ticket, or a fraction of your choice. If you don't buy the whole ticket and someone else buys the rest of it you will share the prize with them. For example, if you buy two decimos, someone else buys three and another buys five and if your ticket wins 1,000€, then you will win 200€, 300€ and 500€ respectively!
With over €3 billion in the pot theres a lot of money available and all the prizes are tax-free! Even after the Spanish government have taken their portion this still leaves an incredible €2.142 Billion for prizes. A lot of money for prizes but then El gordo has a lot of prizes... 13,334 different prizes to be exact which gives you about a 1 in 3 chance of winning a prize!
Here is a list of the ‘principal’ prizes.
The DrawOn the morning of the 22nd of December each year Spain grinds to a halt and the normal noise and chatter is replaced by the sound of children singing... Why? Since December 18, 1812, the Christmas Lottery (ElGordo de Navidad) draw is held according to exactly the same procedure each year. Two big spherical vessels are used. One of them contains several tens of thousands of small wooden balls, representing all ticket numbers. The other one contains fewer wooden balls, representing the prizes to be drawn. In the Lotería Nacional hall of Madrid, pupils of the San Ildefonso school (formerly reserved for orphans of public servants) draw the numbers and corresponding prizes, singing the results aloud in front of the public, whilst being broadcast live on television and radio. Due to the sheer quantity of numbers and prizes, this procedure takes about 3 hours. Over the course of the morning prizes and their corresponding numbers are drawn and as the 1st prize, ‘el gordo’, is not necessarily the 1st number drawn this means the excitment lasts longer, and as the tension grows the crowd start chanting ‘gordo!’ ‘gordo!’ In recent years, more than 4,800 individual numbers won at least €1,000 per billete (€100 per décimo). Loteria del NiñoPlayers who just get their money back will often re-invest the prize in a ticket for El Niño, the second most important draw, held before the feast of Epiphany of Jesus. This second draw takes place on January 5. You will need to buy new tickets for this draw.
About LUKI Lottery
The Spanish Ministry of the Treasury has advised us that legitimate lottery tickets such as the El Gordo de la Primitiva and ElGordo de Navidad can only be purchased from authorised ticket sellers in Spain for Spanish lotteries.( Loterias y Apuestas de Estado). Once you have placed your order with us our lottery agent in Spain will purchase your tickets on your behalf which we will keep in a secure deposit box. You will then be notified of your ticket numbers. Any winnings will be collected by us and deposited to the account of your choice or in the case of a substantial prize we can arrange for you to collect your prize personally. Isn't it illegal to resell tickets? LUKI Co Ltd acts as an agent on your behalf to allow you to take part in the UK National Lottery. We do not resell tickets. The legality of our procedures has been approved by an independent lawyer. Do you accept non-British currency? LUKI Co Ltd accept payment by credit card, which simplifies currency conversion matters. Your credit card company will convert the amount automatically. Some credit card companies may make a small charge for this service. Check with your credit card company. Is it safe to place my order over the Internet? Our order pages use "128bit SSL", the most widely respected standard of internet encryption available, therefore you can submit your online with confidence. Most credit card companies now offer an internet guarantee, offering you even greater protection. MISC The LUKI lottery website is safe and secure and used by many International Players however, you need to be on your guard against Internet fraudsters. We never ask for any up-front fees or requests personal details by email. If you receive an email which sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
The official operator of the Spanish El Gordo lottery, Loterias y Apuestas de Estado has issued a warning about fraudsters using the name El Gordo and forging documentation and bank forms to obtain money under false pretences. Mailings and emails are being sent to consumers claiming they have won the Spanish lottery. In order to claim their 'prize', recipients are asked to provide their bank account details and told that 5-10 per cent of the winnings will be retained for costs. However the 'winners' are later contacted and asked for various fees in order to release their alleged prize, and they never receive a penny. Genuine Spanish lottery prizes are always free from taxes. If you receive fraudulent El Gordo material you can help the investigations of Loterías y Apuestas de Estado by sending a copy to the following address: Loterías y Apuestas del Estado Fax number: 00 34 91 533 51 36
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