The Ultimate Guide to Spanish Lotteries

Spanish lotteries have been around for centuries, since 1763 to be exact, and have been offering Spanish citizens the biggest lottery and raffle prizes in the world. Some of the most famous Spanish lotteries include La Primitiva,El Gordo, and of course, Spain's famous Christmas Raffle Loteria de Navidad. In this guide, you can learn all about these lotteries and others, including game rules, draw times, winning odds, record jackpots, and how you can start playing them online!

Are You Ready to Start Winning Big with Spanish Lotteries?

Spain is famous for many things; flamenco, bullfighting, Pablo Picasso and of course, staging the biggest and most exciting lotteries in the world. The Spanish National Lottery has paid out billions in prizes to local lottery fans over the past two centuries, and now, you can start winning them too! At LottoSmile, players from across the globe can get play and win huge prizes from five of Spain’s most rewarding lotteries: La Primitiva, El Gordo and BonoLoto, as well as the pan-European EuroMillions and EuroJackpot!

Spanish Jackpot Records

While the pan-European EuroMillions dominates in this category, each Spanish lottery has had enormous jackpots worth mentioning. Check out the record jackpot from each of the 5 Spanish lotteries!

Lottery	Prize	Date
EuroMillions Spain	€230 million	19 July 2022
La Primitiva	€101.7 million	15 October 2015
EuroJackpot	€120 Million	22 July 2022 8 November 2022
El Gordo	€33 million	14 July 2011
BonoLoto	€7.6 million	11 December 2018

Which Spanish Lottery has the Best Odds?

Sometimes, it’s hard choosing which lottery to play next, especially when they all have amazing prizes and benefits. One easy thing you can do is check the odds of winning the lottery jackpot. The lower the odds, the higher your chances of claiming a prize! The Spanish lottery with the best odds of winning is undoubtedly Spain Bonoloto. Because of its smaller jackpot prize and the fact that it stages seven lottery draws a week, the odds of winning the top prize is an unbeatable 1;13,983,816! Compared to other Spanish lotteries, Bonoloto is the game to play if you want to win fast. If you want to win the biggest jackpots in Spain, you have some stiff competition! The Spanish lotteries with the lowest odds of winning are the national favourites; La Primitiva and EuroMillions Spain. When you play either of these, your odds of winning is 1:139.838,160. While these incredibly low odds may seem daunting, winning a prize from either is well worth it! Check out the jackpot winning odds of each Spanish lottery in the table below:

Lottery	Match	Jackpot Odds
La Primitiva	6/60	1:139,838,160
El Gordo	5/54 + 1/10	1:31,625,100
BonoLoto	5/80	1:13,983,816

Can Foreigners Play Spanish Lotteries Online?

In the past, only Spanish citizens could participate. Now, with the advancement of technology and the internet, anyone with a wifi connection can play in Spain’s biggest lotteries online! Through ticket messenger services like LottoSmile, players can purchase official tickets which are bought through local offices from official lottery ticket retailers.

Are Spanish Lottery Prizes Taxed?

Non-Resident Income Tax is charged in the form of a “special tax” on lottery and raffle winnings awarded by the Spanish National Lottery. Unlike income tax on citizens of Spain, this special tax is not final and can be revoked. If you're a citizen of a foreign country, you may be entitled to a tax refund in order to prevent double taxation on your winnings.

Spanish lottery prizes are subject to two tax bands:

Many countries have agreements to avoid international double taxation in the form of a fixed withholding tax rate. If the withholding rate is higher than what your country has agreed to, you can request to get a refund on the excess withholdings. For example, if your country has an agreement with Spain for a 5% withholding rate, you can request to receive the excess 15% of the original 20% tax rate.

To get your tax refund, you must submit a 210 Declaration of Income Tax for Non-Residents form (IRNR) to the Spanish National Tax Management Office by February 1 of the following year. You will also be required to prove that you are not a resident of Spain by obtaining and submitting a Certificate of Fiscal Residence issued by your country’s Tax Authority. Once your request has been approved, you will receive your tax refund via bank transfer.

Are you confused yet? So are we! That’s why LottoSmile always suggests that one of the first things you should do when you win the lottery is retain a reputable a tax adviser who has previous experience with lottery winners and knows their way around international taxes.

Which Spanish Lotteries are Offered at LottoSmile?

LottoSmile offers up three lotteries exclusively in played Spain, as well as EuroMillions and EuroJackpot; two multi-national lotteries offered in various European countries, including Spain! You can read our guide to playing EuroMillions online, as well as our complete Eurojackpot Guide to get in-depth info about these incredible European lotteries.

Keep on reading to learn all about the centuries-old La Primitiva, the “Fat One” El Gordo, and Spain's rewarding daily lottery Bonoloto.

Spain La Primitiva

La Primitiva is Spain’s first official lottery, as well as one of Europe’s oldest lotteries still operating. It was introduced in the 18th century as the “Royal Lottery” by Carlos III as a way of obtaining money to fund hospitals, hospices and other public charities without levying a new tax on the Spanish public. The first draw of this new lottery known as Lotería por Números, or Lottery by Numbers, was staged on the 10th of December 1763, earning 187,000 reias. In 1812 the name was changed to its current La Primitiva. The lottery was eventually abolished in 1862 and was only reestablished by the Organismo Nacional de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE) in August 1985, more than a century later.

The Spanish National Lottery allocates 55% of the ticket revenue towards prizes while the rest is contributed towards state programs and charities, such as the Red Cross and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

How to Play

Spain La Primitiva has a 6/49 format, meaning players must select six numbers from a guess range of 1-49, as well as one Reintegro number from a range of 0-9. The Reintegro, or Refund number, has two functions. In addition to creating the 6+R jackpot prize, players who match it regardless of if they match any other winning number, are entitled to a full refund on the cost of their La Primitiva lottery ticket.

In addition to the Reintegro number, another bonus ball, called Complementario (Complimentary), is added, creating the third 5+1+R third prize division and the 5+1 fourth prize division.

The La Primitiva top prize starts at €5 million and is known to have numerous rollovers before being won. The jackpot record of €101.7 million was won in October 2015 after a total of 56 rollovers! In addition to the jackpot prize, La Primitiva players can also win from the lottery’s 10 secondary prize divisions. A lottery with a similar starting jackpot prize is Japan Loto 7, which offers a minimum top prize of ¥600 million!

La Primitiva stages lottery draws every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 20:30 GMT. Check out the La Primitiva results page to see if you’ve won!

Spain El Gordo

El Gordo de la Primitiva was established in 1993, almost a decade after La Primitiva was reintroduced to Spanish lottery fans in 1985. The game was created to have a similar format to La Primitiva, only with larger prizes and better odds of winning them. While it started out as a monthly draw, due to popular demand it was decided that El Gordo draws would become a weekly affair.

How to play

To participate in an El Gordo lottery draw, players must select 5 main numbers from a range of 1-54 as well as one Numero Clave, between 0-9. The Numero Clave is needed to win the jackpot prize and is also used to give players who match it a full refund on the cost of their El Gordo ticket.

To win the jackpot prize, players must match the 5 main numbers as well as the Numero Clave number. You can compare your numbers to the winning numbers drawn on our up-to-date El Gordo results page after every draw. You can win impressive secondary lottery prizes by matching 5, 4, 3, or 2 of the numbers drawn with or without the Numero Clave number. Matching just the Numero Clave number entitles you to a refund of the ticket price.

El Gordo draws take place every Sunday at 21:30 GMT.

Spain BonoLoto

BonoLoto was created by Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in 1988 to give Spanish lottery fans a cost-effective playing option. This lottery, while having smaller prizes as a result of the lower ticket costs, routinely hands out jackpots due to the low range and daily draws every Monday through Sunday at 21:30 Spain time.

How to play

To win the Bonoloto jackpot prize, players must match 6 numbers from a guess range of 1-49. At the draw, a seventh bonus number called Complementario (Complimentary) is drawn and used to create the lottery’s secondary 5+1 prize category. Unlike the other lotteries on our list, the BonoLoto jackpot is won by only matching the 6 main numbers.

Just like Spain La Primitiva, Bonoloto features a Reintegro number which is randomly assigned to all Bonoloto lottery tickets upon purchase. If your ticket matched the Reintegro number drawn, regardless of if you matched any of the winning numbers, you’ll receive a full refund on the cost of your ticket.

What is the “Reintegro” Number?

The Reintegro, or refund number, features in all Spanish lotteries. This bonus number is used to refund the player the cost of their lottery ticket. At every lottery draw, 10%, an estimated €1.4 million, is put aside to pay for the ticket refunds. The Reintegro consists of one number from a range of 0-9. La Primitiva and El Gordo allow you to choose your own Reintegro number, while BonoLoto automatically assigns a random Reintegro number to your ticket. After the main numbers are drawn, the Reintegro number is selected from a separate drum. If you match the Reintegro with any other winning number or even alone, you’re entitled to a full refund of the cost of your lottery ticket. There’s a good chance you’ll be getting your money back too, as the odds of matching the Reintegro number are 1 in 10! In La Primitiva and El Gordo draws, the Reintegro number also serves as one of the numbers needed to win the jackpot prize.

There is a similar extra number In the El Gordo lottery. In addition to the five main numbers, you also choose an additional Numero Clave number from a range of 0-9. This extra number is drawn from a separate drum. To win the El Gordo jackpot, you must match the five main numbers as well as the Numero Clave. Partial matches of the main numbers as well as the Numero Clave may entitle you to a secondary prize. Matching only the Numero Clave will entitle you to a refund of the cost of your lottery ticket, less LottoSmile’s service fee.

Outside of Spanish lotteries, Portugal also offers a similar feature called Número da Sorte, or Lucky Number. When you play Portugal Totoloto online, you have a chance at receiving a refund on the cost of your ticket when you match this extra number. The Número da Sorte also creates six of the draw's ten prize divisions.

Spanish Lottery Raffles

Spain’s world-renowned raffles are famous for their enormous prize pools, unbeatable winning odds, and numerous prize categories. You can get in-depth information on Spain’s exciting raffles including draw dates, winning odds and more by reading our Spanish Raffle Guide. Learn more about the world's biggest lottery raffles!

Players can also enter EuroMillions El Millón raffle. Unlike other Spanish raffles, players are automatically entered by when they purchase a ticket for either one of the EuroMillions Spain bi-weekly draws. The pan-European raffle guarantees one lucky player a rewarding top prize of €1 million in every draw. Read our EuroMillions Raffle Guide to learn about all of the EuroMillions rewarding lottery raffles, how to get EuroMillions raffle results, and more.

The History of Lotteries in Spain - A National Tradition

Spain set up the Royal Lottery as a charity in 1763 during the reign of King Carlos III. The game was called “Lottery by Numbers” and was the predecessor to the modern La Primitiva. The proceeds for this lottery benefitted hospitals, hospices for the sick and elderly and other such charities. Around half a century later in 1811 during the Spanish War of Independence, The Royal National Lottery of Spain was established along with a new game called Modern Lottery as a way of collecting funds to the public treasury without imposing a new tax on the people. Instead of choosing their numbers like in La Primitiva, Spanish players purchased tickets with pre-assigned numbers already printed onto them. This raffle was later renamed as Loteria Nacional.

Spain’s first official lottery draw was staged in Madrid on 28 February 1814. This was the start of Spain's long love affair with lotteries. From then until the 20th century, Spain's lotteries consisted of Loteria Nacional Loteria, Lotería de Navidad, and Loteria Del Nino; games which are still being played to this very day!

As the 20th century brought greater demand for more lotteries, new games and raffle were created to meet them. In 1985, La Primitiva was brought back over a century after it was abolished in 1862. La Primitiva’s success brought about BonoLoto in 1988 and El Gordo in 1993. In addition to its own lotteries, Spain also joined the pan-European lottery EuroMillions in 2004 and EuroJackpot in 2012. Spanish players also enjoy two lottery games based on racehorse betting and a lottery for football betting, where the player needs to predict the outcome of 15 Spanish football matches.

Start Playing Spanish Lotteries Today!

You don’t have to be from Spain to participate in Spanish lotteries! Spain's draw games are amongst the oldest modern lotteries in the world and there’s a reason they still have millions of fans from across the globe to this day. If you like Spanish lotteries, you may also enjoy playing Italy’s SuperEnalotto and the Chilean Clasico Loto! The Italian gem not only hands out some of the worlds biggest prizes, but it also holds the title of paying out the largest European jackpot prize in history!