A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. Some governments outlaw it, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments.

El Gordo de la Primitiva commonly known as El Gordo, is one of the Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (Spanish state lotteries).


Tickets consist of two grids, one with numbers from 1 to 54 and the second from 1 to 9. Players have to pick five numbers in the first grid and one in the second. These can be bought from Monday to Saturday in over eleven-thousand locations in Spain and cost €1.50 per grid. Drawings are held every Saturday at 21:30 (GMT+1).

The largest prize given at the Spanish Christmas Lottery, and in any other lottery, is also referred to as 'El Gordo'.

Check out which countries have a national lottery.