The post-holiday lull is setting in, and it’s time to think about souvenirs for family and friends or to add to the growing collection of keepsakes from the sunny spots visited during the summer. Some people go for simple refrigerator magnets, others chase the local cuisine, and an increasing number even buy a tenth of the Christmas Lottery’s Christmas draw. With downtime on Spain’s coast, travelers seize the chance to acquire a ticket that could unlock the El Gordo draw, which takes place every December 22. When it comes to entering the lottery, superstition plays a big part, and many recall the memorable line from the end of the summer TV commercial for the Christmas lottery: “What if it lands here?” The only real risk to missing out on a life-changing win is that, with tourism bouncing back, lottery offices are allowed to sell a portion of the total tickets abroad in just two months, reaching roughly 37 million tenths and about 740 million euros in value.
“Summer is a strong sales period,” notes Borja Muñiz, head of the National Group of Lottery Administrators. The Christmas lottery commercial signaled the start of ticket sales, and the first crowds formed outside the best-known lottery offices in the country. A common thread among them is their proximity to the sea. “Where tourism thrives, the lottery experiences a bigger footprint,” Muñiz adds. Regions like Andalusia, Murcia, and the Valencian Community compete with Galicia or Asturias for ticket sales, all seeing rising tourist numbers each year.
At La Herradura de la Suerte, a Malaga lottery office nestled in the city center, it’s common to see a long human line stretching to the door as visitors pick their preferred numbers. Ticket sales began in July, and an uptick appeared in early August, attributed to a thriving tourism scene and the Malaga Fair. The benefit of being in the historic core is clear: tourists flow through the area, boosting participation. A similar pattern unfolds in Benidorm, where the heat doesn’t deter, and queues in front of lottery offices reflect performance this year. Sales match last year’s figures, when tourism was rebounding and even surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
Even as coastal towns swell with customers, Madrid’s beloved Doña Manolita remains an exception to the seaside trend. From day one, lines curl around the building as visitors flock to its central location in the capital. In contrast, Barcelona’s El Gato Negro shows a different rhythm. Teodoro Baró, the resort owner, explains that although visitors have returned and there is a noticeable recovery, sales are steadier rather than booming like in other tourist hubs. He reports more in-person purchases compared with earlier years when orders mainly came through shipping channels.
Another ‘memory’
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Traditionally, the Christmas draw figures arrived at lottery offices in October, but that date shifted to July during the 1980s when mass tourism started rising across the country. Since then, seasonal visitors to certain coastal regions have tended to buy the tenth as a keepsake of the summer, often choosing the same city they visited each July or August. The blend of fear of missing out and fond summer memories pushes people to participate. Muñiz adds that it’s like choosing a souvenir from the place where the summer was spent. As September ends, different customer segments appear, including businesses seeking to distribute specific numbers among their employees for the holiday season.
Beyond tourism growth, lottery sellers also benefit from favorable numbers. Earlier this summer, Jesús Huerta, head of the State Lottery and Betting, announced that this year’s Christmas Extraordinary Draw would carry the most prizes in its entire history. A total of 185 million decimals and 185 series of 100,000 digits each will be distributed, five more than in 2022. The draw is expected to generate 3.7 billion euros in prizes, with about 70 percent of that sum, roughly 2,590 million euros, returning to participants as top prizes or secondary prizes. In 2022, prize distributions reached about 2,520 million euros, roughly 70 million less than the 2023 forecast, highlighting the strong expected return for buyers this season.