Spanish Christmas Lottery Adverts

Table of contents:

• WHAT IS EL GORDO SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY?
• ABOUT SPANISH LOTTERY CHRISTMAS ADVERTS
• 2021: SHARING IN THE SNOW
• 2020: HOPE IN HARD TIMES
• 2019: THE DRAW WHICH UNITES US
• 2018: I WISH IT COULD BE EL GORDO EVERYDAY! (OR DO I?)
• 2017: A MATCH MADE IN MARS
• 2016: A 'WHITE' CHRISTMAS LIE
• 2015: JUSTINO
• 2014: ANTONIO AND MANU
• MAKE YOUR OWN EL GORDO STORY

WHAT IS EL GORDO SPANISH CHRISTMAS LOTTERY?

El Gordo (literally 'The Fat One') is the popular name for the Spanish Christmas Lottery (Lotería de Navidad) which is organised by the state-run company Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world, with the first draw taking place in 1812.

El Gordo is unique lottery which is steeped in history and tradition. Find out how the Spanish Christmas lottery works.

ABOUT SPANISH LOTTERY CHRISTMAS ADVERTS

Christmas lottery adverts are a big deal in Spain. Not only because they symbolise the start of the Christmas period. The Christmas lottery itself is ingrained in the history of the country and is a deeply rooted element of Spanish Christmas culture. Furthermore, the ads are produced to the highest levels and far from being cheesy, they are worthy of plenty of cinematographic praise!

2021 - SHARING IN THE SNOW

The official motto for the Spanish Christmas lottery is 'el mayor premio es compartirlo' ('the greatest prize is to share it'). The 2021 Spanish lottery Christmas advert truly captures the spirit of Christmas and reinforces the lottery's slogan. The ad was filmed in the picturesque towns of Elizondo and Irurita, located in the Bazatán Valley of Navarra, in northern Spain. The snowy scenery sets the perfect Christmas tone for this year's advert which shows the townspeople anonymously sharing décimos with friends, family and neighbours. In the end, they all share the big prize. In real life, entire towns/villages have in fact shared El Gordo winnings, as happened in the village of Sodeto, Aragón, in 2011.

2020 - HOPE IN HARD TIMES

'Share like always. Share like never before' was the motto for the 2020 Spanish lottery Christmas advert. The purpose of the rather somber ad was to give people the hope of making it through the hard times, touching on the topics of emigration and of course the coronavirus pandemic which hit that year. The ad starts back in the 1940s and evokes the period of mass Spanish emigration which took place from the period of the 1930s to the 1970s. A Spanish factory worker in Germany is seen displaying his lottery ticket on his work desk next to a picture of his daughter. The ad then fast-forwards to 2020, when during the second wave of the pandemic, neighbours were unable to embrace each other but the spirit of sharing remained, as always.

2019 - THE DRAW WHICH UNITES US

The theme for 2019 was all about "the draw which unites us". The President of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, Jesús Huerta, wanted the ad to "reflect everday and realistic situations". Instead of one story, there were four separate ads with distinct everyday stories. A father-in-law gifting a ticket to his son's ex-wife, a father handing over his business to his daughter after his retirement, a woman in hospital hoping for a better future and a family making plans for Christmas dinner.

The 2019 advert was perhaps not the most exciting or magical production ever made but the idea that the lottery could be won by anyone in an everyday situation and the realism was what it was all about. 

2018 - I WISH IT COULD BE EL GORDO EVERYDAY! (OR DO I?)

By the end of December we're all sick of hearing Roy Wood bleat out 'it's Christmas!' as we listen to Wizzard's 1973 hit 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' for the millionth time. If anything, it actually puts us off wishing it was Christmas every day. The 2018 Spanish lottery Christmas ad gives us an idea of what this would be like, just instead of it being Christmas Day, it's Spanish Christmas lottery day. Taking inspiration from the 1993 film 'Groundhog Day', a Spanish Scrooge wins El Gordo every day until he is sick of it. Eventually, he decides to share his ticket with a woman in need and the curse is broken.

The moral of the story is, what's the point of winning if you don't share it?

2017 - A MATCH MADE ON MARS

According to American author John Grey, 'Men are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'. However, it seems that Martians who visit Spain prefer to take female form if we go by the 2017 Spanish Christmas lottery advert. In a rather bizarre scenario, a Spanish man called Daniel falls in love with a woman from Mars who he calls 'Danielle' after a misunderstanding and the couple go on to win El Gordo.

Basically, it's all about the joy of sharing with the love of your life. Weird but wonderful. 

2016 - A 'WHITE' CHRISTMAS LIE

The advert starts with a grandmother, Carmina, believing she has won El Gordo after mistaking a re-run of the previous year's results with the latest draw. Her family, not wishing to crush her dreams, go along with it as she gathers the town to celebrate. A big party is held and the villagers even stage a fake TV interview. Her son eventually decides to tell her the truth when Carmina reveals that she already knew the truth and then proceeds to hand her son a ticket for the next day's draw and they embrace. 

The ad faced some criticism as it was said to be promoting giving people a false hope but the idea behind the ad was to emphasise the Christmas spirit of unity, enjoying the moment and celebrating together.

2015 - JUSTINO

The 2015 Spanish lottery Christmas advert was a real tear-jerker and remains a classic, possibly the best Christmas lottery advert ever made. The ad tells the story of Justino, a security guard in a warehouse who spends his night shift alone with just mannequins for company. The day workers form a syndicate to buy a share for El Gordo, which turns out to be a winner. Justino thinks he has missed out, only to be confronted by his co-workers, who present him with the ticket they purchased for him. The advert ends with Justino and his colleagues celebrating their good fortune together. 

A beautiful story, superb animation and a wonderful message to promote the Christmas spirit of sharing and thinking of others.

2014 - ANTONIO AND MANU

While a town celebrates winning El Gordo one man excludes himself from the celebrations, having been unable to buy a ticket. Resigned to his unfortunate situation, he sits amongst the revellers and asks his friend, the local cafe owner, for a coffee. When he asks for the bill, he is surprised at the cost of €21. He asks why it's so expensive, only for his friend to smile and explain that it was €1 for the coffee, and €20 for something in a mysterious envelope, which he slides across the table to him.

Of course, it's a winning ticket. 

MAKE YOUR OWN EL GORDO STORY

The world-famous Spanish Christmas Lottery draw takes place on December 22nd. The live broadcast begins at 09.00 CET (08.00 GMT) and can last over 3 hours, so you can enjoy a good breakfast whilst hoping to wash it down with champagne!

The humongous prize pool is an estimated £2.2 billion - making El Gordo the biggest lottery in the world.

The odds of winning the jackpot are an incredible 1 in 100,000!

The good news is that you don't have to book a flight to Spain in order to feel the emotion of this magnificent lottery.

With Lottoland, you can now bet on the Spanish Christmas lottery from the UK.

Don't miss out on the magic and remember to share!

Merry Christmas and good luck! ¡Feliz Navidad y buena suerte! 

Last Updated: December 2021