Spanish Christmas Lottery
spanish christmas lottery officially sorteo extraordinario de navidad soɾˈteo eɣstɾaoɾðiˈnaɾjo ðe naβiˈðað simply lotería de navidad loteˈɾia ðe naβiˈðað special draw lotería nacional weekly national lottery run spain stateowned loterías apuestas del estado special christmas draw take place every december biggest popular draw year lotería nacional first draw held march secondlongest continuously running lottery world includes year spanish civil war lottery draw held valencia republican forced relocate capital madrid overthrow republican government lottery continued uninterrupted francoist spain first christmas draw held december cádiz grand prize number first time name sorteo de navidad used measured total prize payout spanish christmas lottery considered biggest lottery draw worldwide million preprinted € ticket sell décimos maximum total amount available prize would € billion seventy per cent ticket sale total amount grand prize el gordo big one would € million spanishspeaking englishspeaking medium sometimes called el gordo even though name really refers grand prize spanish lottery lotería nacional draw special christmas draw based ticket billetes fivedigit number since system produce unique ticket number ticket number printed multiple time several socalled series series series also identified ticket series number way lottery organizer able sell ticket year numbered series ticket series xxx ticket xxx total number series printed given year series ticket total ticket available € € billion ticket sold would € billion seventy per cent ticket sale available prize € ticket price may prohibitive many purchaser preprinted ticket actually perforated tearapart sheet ten identical subtickets fraction sold € one fraction known décimo onetenth décimo entitled ten per cent prize ticket ticket officially sold official lottery shop administraciones throughout country well licensed unlicensed seller street frequently shop sell ticket number series meaning winner ticket purchased ticket location sometimes lead small village full grand prize winner location previous grand prize winner sold el gordo often becomes location lottery pilgrimage thousand people local far away queue buy ticket location luck ticket also sold outside spain usually online legally illegally often notable markup price private basis association charity workplace sport team cafés shop organization also possible buy given fraction décimo onetenth ticket called participación share many organization buy décimos divide share sell public colleague member association usually charity special organization small transaction fee applied effectively donation organization street seller may take commission earning small profit participaciones share made writing ticket number amount paid piece paper possibly photocopy ticket signed paper legal contract spain proof participation ticket ticket winner anyone holding share entitled proportional amount prize payout example charity may buy décimo onetenth ticket split ten participaciones share case selling € plus € extra donation charity number win get one per cent prize onetenth onetenth series billetes € maximum ticket sale € billion would produce prize payout € billion seventy per cent ticket sale one series prize structure following € el gordo paid every series number every series number obtained corresponding € approximation prize additionally every series number excluding el gordo including approximation obtained € prize number first three digit el gordo every series number ending excluding el gordo obtained € every series number ending excluding el gordo obtained refund € exact quantity ticket series price may different year example different number series number series whereas number series increased since different number series distribution prize change also introduction euro el gordo increased € € second prize increased € € fifth prize increased € € pedreas € added number series reduced adjust expected demand number series increased overall odds winning prize lotería de navidad drawing traditionally take place december past drawing took place lotería nacional hall madrid held palacio municipal de congresos de madrid since teatro real madrid pupil san ildefonso school formerly reserved orphan public servant draw number corresponding prize delivering result song public boy san ildefonso participated drawing year mónica rodríguez became first girl sing result including fourth prize million spanish peseta custom winner donate money san ildefonso school public attending event may dressed lotteryrelated extravagant clothing hat staterun televisión española radio nacional de españa medium outlet broadcast entire draw also livestreamed two large spherical cage used largest one contains small wooden ball unique fivedigit ticket number smaller cage contains small wooden ball one representing prize written euro ball first prize called el gordo ball second prize ball third prize ball fourth prize ball fifth prize ball small prize called la pedrea literally pebbleavalanche stoning inscription wooden ball nowadays made laser avoid difference weight weigh gram oz diameter millimetre thrown vessel number shown public anyone check ball number missing drawing go single ball extracted revolving sphere time one child sings winning number child sings corresponding prize repeated smaller cage prizeballs emptied due sheer number prize procedure take many hour child work eight nine shift equal number frame number drawn ball hole placed onto long wire stored frame later presentation major prize drawn child pause sing prize ticket number multiple time show ball committee fixed camera two phillips screwdriver head mounted front inserted frame others although drawing chance child draw higher prize applauded apart prize drawn vessel prize calculated winning number view table prize grand prize el gordo declared number instantly broadcast television online public screen twovessels system traditional system used lotería nacional draw nowadays used special christmas draw since rest ordinary special lotería nacional draw use five spherical cage ten ball numbered five digit winning number drawn smallest prize reintegro ticket end certain digit get money back mean ten per cent ticket get money back chance winning higher prize meaning ten per cent ticket win prize significantly higher winning rate lottery prize structure make easier win money compared lottery common saying prize christmas lottery well distributed around spain chance winning el gordo chance winning top prize euromillions chance winning top prize mega million nonwinners known claim health really matter losing get money back often reinvest ticket sorteo extraordinario de el niño second important lotería nacional draw held every january epiphany jesus day climax drawing moment el gordo drawn lottery outlet usually sell ticket one two number winner largest prize often live town area work company el gordo sold entirely grañén huesca town people € million first prize sold barcelona rest € million el gordo distributed madrid tenerife alicante palencia zaragoza cáceres guipúzcoa winning number sold eight different lottery outlet across spain second prize number € per décimo ever sold kiosk puerta del sol central madrid winning number sold town vic catalonia population whose inhabitant shared € million € per winning décimo moment aired live la rne well sister channel tve internacional horas resulting combination winning price shown lottery outlet following misconception many nonspanish speaking country often assumed term el gordo specific christmas lottery even think el gordo fact name lottery however real meaning el gordo simply first prize literally fat one accurately big one lottery gordo well add confusion relatively new weekly spanish lottery game called el gordo de la primitiva nothing common christmas lottery except fact organized spanish public lottery entity loterías apuestas del estado loterías apuestas del estado official page rural spanish housewife club win el gordo lottery reuters december