At 9am on Monday (December 22), the draw for Spain's Christmas Lottery will begin. The annual ritual for the draw can take more than three hours. The voices of children from the San Ildefonso School can be heard everywhere; the live broadcast from Madrid's Teatro Real can seem to be on everywhere.
'El Gordo', the Fat One, is the jackpot prize. While it may be a dream to have the winning numbers, the people of the Balearics have historically spent less on the Christmas Lottery than in any other Spanish region. 2025 is no exception. The average per person is 42.90 euros; the national average is 76.01 euros.
Traditionally the lowest spenders, but post-pandemic there was something of a boom in the sale of tickets. Daniel Pujol who runs a lottery office in Palma's Santa Catalina district says people were more optimistic. Were. But less so now. Total spending this year is down six per cent, a fall of 3.3 million euros to 52.4 million.
"It’s the complete opposite now. They come in and tell you straight up, 'I’ll take just the one because I can’t afford more'. The economy is really struggling. Foreigners ask for tickets like they’re candy, while locals are more mindful of the price and what they can afford."
Lower spending, but that won't quieten the sound of the lottery.