Spanish National Lottery Special Draws

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The National Lottery organizes several special draws each year. These draws usually commemorate particular occasions, such as Christmas Eve or Saint Valentine’s Day, and are very popular in Spain because of the generous prizes they offer. The most famous special draws are El Gordo de Navidad (the Fat One) and El Niño (Baby Jesus).

El Gordo de Navidad

This draw takes place on December 22 each year, and is viewed as the most traditional draw in Spain. Because it offers such enormous amounts of money, the assembly hall where the draw takes place is carefully examined on December 21 to ensure that everything is as it should be for a totally fair and unbiased game.

Early on December 22, the hall opens its doors and the game begins. Once the draw president has given the authorization to proceed, a girl or a boy from Saint Ildefonso School takes out a numbered ball from the lottery drums, then two other children “sing” the numbers to the audience. The draw ends when the lottery drums are empty. Winning players are those who are in possession of the dècimos that match with the numbers drawn.

Not to be confused with El Gordo de la Primitiva

El Niño

This draw takes place on January 6 each year in remembrance of the Three Wise Men. The general structure of this game is similar to the national lottery. The numbers involved in this draw are 100.000 (from 00.000 up to 99.999), and you may buy as many dècimos as you want to. You win if your dècimo or serie matches the numbers drawn.

Sorteos especiales de la Lotería Nacional - Versión española