Spanish Steps - Fact file - Lottery

La lotería moderna, the modern lottery, arrived in Spain in 1811, and there are now several variations on the theme across the Spanish-speaking world, all offering the chance to win, and to win big. It's difficult to overestimate the importance of la lotería in Spanish life - people will travel for miles to buy their lucky ticket from their personal favourite lotero, ticket seller, and spend fortunes each year on tickets.

Players buy their tickets (known as un boleto or un décimo depending on the game) either in the licensed street corner booths, or in local administraciones de lotería, lottery offices. In some countries these are as much a part of the local landscape as the café or corner shop.

Several charities have established lotteries to supplement fundraising efforts - these include Spain's Cupón de la ONCE, run by the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, the national organisation for the blind, and Argentina's La Solidaria. There are also lotteries whose winnings go towards public programmes like housing for the elderly, such as La Pega in Puerto Rico.

If you're around Spain at Christmas, you can take part in the lottery to beat all lotteries, affectionately known as El Gordo, the Fat One. The draw for El Gordo traditionally marks the start to the Christmas festivities, and is accompanied by massive media coverage as the announcement of the lucky winners approaches. Winning numbers are drawn and then sung by the cherubic niños de San Idelfonso, children from the school of San Idelfonso.

In harder times, El Gordo represented the only way to a better life, so even today Spaniards take great interest in celebrating a big win. But if you don't win, you can always try El Niño, the annual 5th January draw named in honour of the baby Jesus.

Links

Loterias.com

Loterías y Apuestas del Estado - Spain's National Lottery Authority

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