The El Gordo was first held in the holidays of 1812, making it the second longest running lottery-styled game in the world. The holidays are a special time for everyone. And to make the season even more memorable, the annual Spanish El Gordo raffle brings a massive €2.4 billion prize pool for players to grab a piece of. This is a once-a-year raffle you are not going to want to miss!
And now thanks to the magic of the internet you don’t need to live in Spain to get your hands on El Gordo tickets. El Gordo tickets go on sale a few months before the December draw, so keep an eye out for them to go on sale, pick your ticket and wait to see if you’re an El Gordo winner!
The odds of winning the El Gordo raffle are a little different than when compared to lottery games. And by different we mean you have much better odds at winning the El Gordo jackpot! Because the El Gordo is a raffle there are no lucky numbers which are drawn, rather players buy tickets with predetermined number sets.
The odds of winning the El Gordo jackpot is 1-in-139,828,160, which are better jackpot winning odds when compared to any lottery you can currently play online. There are also 12 other prize tiers with roughly the same odds of winning, with the prizes also being valued well into the millions.
There are a fixed number of El Gordo tickets that are made available every year, so make sure to get your El Gordo tickets before they are sold out.
Traditionally you would have to be living in Spain to buy your El Gordo tickets. But now players who have registered a free Giant Lottos account can play their El Gordo tickets and win prizes from their home country.
With a €2.4 billion prize pool to win from, the El Gordo prizes often value well into the million, including the multi-million jackpot that is up for grabs every year. There are multiple prize tiers to win, with the main jackpot often valued around €4 million, and the tier two or three prizes can often pass the €1 million mark.
The El Gordo De Navidad draw takes place every year on 22nd December in Spain, and is recognised as one of the biggest public events of the year. Hundreds of thousands of Spanish people gather around their TVs to see if they’re a winner.
And now you can join in the magic and buy your El Gordo tickets online and play for the official prizes from your home country. El Gordo ticket sales will go live on the same day as they are available to buy in Spain.
Winning the El Gordo jackpot is among the easiest of any lottery-styled game in the world. There is a 1-in-100,000 chance of winning the El Gordo De Navidad jackpot, as well as a 1-in-100,000 chance of winning the tier two or tier three prize.
To put this into perspective; you have roughly 1-in-300,000,000 odds of winning mainstream jackpots such as the Mega Millions or USA Powerball. It is much easier to win the El Gordo jackpot than winning lottery jackpots.
You also have a 1-in-100,000 chance of winning the tier 2 and tier 3 prize, much better odds than the 1-in-120,000,000 chance of winning the tier 2 Mega Millions prize.
With many of the overall el Gordo tickets set to win any of the prizes, the El Gordo is one of the best games to play if you have your eyes set on that big life-changing jackpot prize!
There are more than 10 different prize tiers for the El Gordo, with a 1-in-7 chance at winning one of the lower tier prizes. You just won’t find better odds when playing other raffles or lottery games!
And now thanks to Giant Lottos, playing El Gordo De Navidad online has never been easier. Just register your free Giant Lottos account online, wait for the El Gordo tickets go on sale and get yours, and then just wait for the El Gordo draw to see if you’re a winner.
Keep an eye out for when El Gordo tickets sales become available online and get yours before they are sold out.
Everyone who buys El Gordo tickets hopes they will be the lucky winner of the jackpot, or at the very least one of the other big prizes. Below are some things you can do when playing El Gordo that will give you better chances or give you the chances at winning a bigger prize.
Get your El Gordo tickets quickly. Because the El Gordo is a raffle there are a limited amount of tickets available each year. Tickets usually go on sale a few months before the December draw, and regularly sell out well before the draw. Make sure you get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Buy a whole El Gordo ticket. El Gordo tickets are normally divided into 10 shares each known as decimos, and players can decide how many shares in each ticket they would like to play. The winnings of each ticket are then divided based on how many shares you bought in that ticket. When you buy all 10 shares in the ticket you will be able to collect all the winnings for that ticket.
Play in the El Gordo Syndicate. The Giant Lottos exclusive El Gordo Syndicate lets you pool your resources with other syndicate members in order to play more El Gordo tickets than you would individually. This means that you get even better chances at claiming a prize without having to buy more tickets yourself.
Winning any Spanish raffle like the El Gordo is a bit different than winning prizes in lottery games. Rather than picking your own lucky numbers, each El Gordo ticket comes with a five digit number from a pool of 1-100,000, which if yours of draw will mean you will win one of the 1,800 prizes given out.
There are six different prize tiers in the El Gordo which each payout a different amount. See below for all of the El Gordo prizes and what the odds of winning them are.
Jackpot | 1 in 100,000 |
Second Prize | 1 in 100,000 |
Third Prize | 1 in 100,000 |
Fourth Prize | 1 in 50,000 |
Fifth Prize | 1 in 12,500 |
Consolation Prize | 1 in 56 |
How do the El Gordo prizes work?
In total there are just over 1,800 prizes given out on the day of the El Gordo draw. They each differ in value, and there are a set amount of each different tier. If a ticket with your five digit number is drawn, another ball is drawn to see which of the prizes you can claim. Below are the different prize values, and how many of that particular prize is up for grabs.
€4,000,000 | One prize |
€1,250,000 | One prize |
€500,000 | One prize |
€200,000 | Two Prizes |
€60,000 | Eight Prizes |
€1,000 | 1,794 Prizes |
Yes, you can get your El Gordo tickets online and collect any of the official prizes if your ticket comes up on the night of the draw. You can decide on which ticket you would like to buy, and we will forward you an email confirming your entry. We will also send another email on the day of the draw confirming your winnings.
Follow the below steps to play the El Gordo raffle online now.
Decide on which 5-digit ticket you would like to play
Every El Gordo ticket comes with a unique 5-digit number from a pool of 1-100,000. Choose your preferred ticket with it’s own numbers, this ticket will determine which of the prizes you win on the day of the draw.
Decide how many shares in the ticket you would like to buy
Each El Gordo ticket is divided into 10 shares, each share is known as a décimo. You will be able to collect the prize value relative to how many shares in a ticket you have purchased.
If you would like to collect the entire prize for a ticket you may purchase all ten shares, this is known as a billete.
Complete your payment and wait for the day of the draw
After you have chosen your ticket and decided how many shares you would like, click on the ‘Checkout’ button and your tickets will be moved to the Shopping Cart.
From here you may finalise your payment, and your El Gordo tickets will be entered into the draw on the 22nd of December.
The El Gordo Navidad draw takes place once a year on the 22nd of December. The draw is usually televised in Spain and normally takes a few hours for the entire event to finish.
The results are made available after the entire draw has taken place, and are published online shortly thereafter. If you have bought any El Gordo tickets you will also receive an email on the day of the draw confirming the results, and any winnings you are owed will automatically be credited into your online account.
All El Gordo Navidad ticket sales close on the evening of 21st December, or when all the trinkets have been sold out. This applies to both online and physical ticket sales.
Because it’s a raffle game, the El Gordo works a bit differently to lottery games. If your unique 5-digit number is drawn, another ball is drawn and this will determine the value of the prize you will win.
You have a 1-in-100,000 chance at winning the El Gordo Navidad jackpot, which is usually valued at €4 million. These are much better jackpot winning odds when compared to lottery games.
In the past you needed to live in Spain and had to buy physical El Gordo tickets to stand a chance at winning. Now you can buy your El Gordo tickets online and collect prizes from your home country.
Each El Gordo ticket is divided into ten shares, with each share costing £99. You can also choose to buy all ten shares of the ticket and collect the entire prize for yourself.
You can watch the draw which takes place live on the 22nd of December every year. And if you’ve bought El Gordo tickets you will receive an email on the day of the draw confirming your winnings, and all the winnings will automatically be credited to your online account.
Winning the El Gordo jackpot is easier than winning a normal lottery jackpot. The odds of winning the El Gordo jackpot is 1-100,000, which are decidedly better odds than winning a jackpot from games like the USA Powerball or the Mega Millions Jackpot Lotto.