The Spanish Christmas Lottery (Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad) is a national lottery game organized every year since 1812 by a branch of the Spanish Public Administration, The name Sorteo de Navidad was used for the first time in 1892.
As measured by the total prize payout, the Spanish Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery worldwide. In 2012, if all of the tickets were sold, the total amount payout of prizes would be worth €2.52 billion (70% of ticket sales). The total amount of all prizes of the first category called El Gordo ("the big one") is €720 million which is distributed among 180 winning tickets (billetes) that win €4 million each.
The Christmas Lottery is based on tickets (billetes) which have 5-digit numbers, just like the regular drawing of the Spanish national lottery. Due to the enormous popularity of the game, each ticket is printed multiple times, in several so-called series. A unique 5-digit number is printed on each ticket and on the subsequent series of that ticket.
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On a private basis, or through associations and other organizations, it is also possible to buy or be given even smaller portions of one ticket, called "participations". Many organizations buy tickets and divide them up and sell them as participations to their customers or employees. Usually, the price of those portions is incremented by a supplement that is paid as a donation to the intermediary organization.
Most Spanish people hold at least a small portion of a lottery ticket in the Christmas Lottery each year, even if they do not gamble during the rest of the year. This includes tickets exchanged with family and acquaintances, or participations sold by one's employer.
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On a private basis, or through associations and other organizations, it is also possible to buy or be given even smaller portions of one ticket, called "participations". Many organizations buy tickets and divide them up and sell them as participations to their customers or employees. Usually, the price of those portions is incremented by a supplement that is paid as a donation to the intermediary organization.
