THE world’s biggest lottery draw began this morning, and Brits have the chance to win big with their share of a £3billion prize pot.
The draw itself is a huge spectacle, lasting four hours, and almost all of Spain will stop to watch.
The lottery, known as “El Gordo” (the fat one) is held once a year, and is famous for giving out the most cash prizes per ticket purchased in the world.
Spaniards across the country eagerly await news of if or what they’ve won – the average citizen spends €70 on tickets for El Gordo each year, according to the State lottery association.
But Brits can enter the lottery as well, whether they live in the UK or in sunny Spain.
Though ticket sales have closed for 2025, Brits who want to take part next year can bag tickets for El Gordo online.
What is El Gordo?
THE SPANISH Christmas lottery is said to be the largest in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of tickets are sold every year, and the event brings the whole country together in the run-up to Christmas.
Many Spaniards club together to buy tickets collectively, because the chances of winning a small prize are high.
Each ticket, called a décimo, entitles winners to a tenth of a set prize.
So if a lucky player holds one décimo with the number drawn for the top prize of €4 million, they will win a huge €400,000.
The top prize is called El Gordo, meaning “the fat one” in English.
Schoolchildren are singing the winning numbers at a theatre in Madrid, with the ceremony broadcast live on TV and radio.
The children, from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school, are the stars of the show at the Teatro Real.
They catch balls as they fly out of two large drums, then musically announce the numbers and corresponding prizes.
Winnings are given out based on “décimos”, with each ticket representing a tenth of each prize pot.
But not all tickets are equally popular – sources say that odd numbers are more popular than even numbers.
And the most popular numbers of all are 13, 15 and 69.
The lucky players who have bought a tenth of the top prize, the El Gordo number, will bag a huge €400,000.
Winners with a lucky décimo for the second prize will take home €125,000.
Third prize is €50,000, fourth is €20,000, and fifth prize is still a whopping €6,000.
Those who missed the chance to play El Gordo don’t need to wait until next Christmas to have their fun with the Spanish lottery.
Spain’s Lotería del Niño will take place on January 6 with an incredible €770 million prize pot.
Tickets for the draw cost €20 each, and experts say there’s a higher chance of winning one of the prizes in the 2026 lottery than the Christmas El Gordo.
There’s a 7.82% chance you’ll take home some cash in the Lotería del Niño, compared to 5.30% in El Gordo.
Brits can bag tickets for the draw online anytime before January 5.