El Gordo de la Primitiva, or simply El Gordo is the Spanish National Weekly Lottery, regulated by Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, the only Spanish regulator that issues lottery licenses. In Spain, there are various versions of the El Gordo lottery. For example, the same name is used for the Spanish Christmas Lottery. Here we offer a weekly lottery version.
El Gordo de la Primitiva drawings are held once a week, every Sunday.
How to Play El Gordo Online
- Go to one of online ticket purchasing services, TheLotter for example. Choose your five different lucky numbers from 1 to 54 and one additional number from 1 to 9.
- You may choose a QuickPick ticket instead of the regular El Gordo ticket. In this case, the computer will randomly choose numbers for you.
- You may fill out one ticket by hand and have another ticket as QuickPick to compare results just for a thrill.
All transactions for El Gordo lottery tickets are final and cannot be canceled or changed after the ticket purchased.
El Gordo Odds and Prize Table
| Match | Odds | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + 1 | 1 in 31,625,100 | Jackpot |
| 5 + 0 | 1 in 3,513,900 | €100,000-500,000* |
| 4 + 1 | 1 in 129,082 | €1,000-10,000* |
| 4 + 0 | 1 in 14,342 | €100-400* |
| 3 + 1 | 1 in 2,689 | €25-70* |
| 3 + 0 | 1 in 299 | €8-20* |
| 2 + 1 | 1 in 172 | €4-10* |
| 2 + 0 | 1 in 19 | €3 |
| 0 + 1 (Reintegro) | 1 in 10 | €1.5 |
* The estimated amount of the winnings is indicated. The final size of the prize is determined by the results of the drawing and depends on the number of sold and won tickets.
Taxes on Lottery Winnings
In Spain, lottery winners have to pay the 20% prize tax if the sum of the monetary prize exceeds the amount of €2500. Winnings less than €2500 are not taxed.
Noncitizens of Spain may ask for a refund of the withdrawn prize tax if the tax has already been paid in the country of residence. You need to apply to the Spanish tax authorities, after approval of which the tax refund is fully implemented within a year.
Taxes are automatically withheld directly from the winnings while they are cashed out. Therefore, all winnings in the lottery over €2500 will be credited to the prize account minus the above-mentioned prize tax — 20%.
