The reason why you don’t hear much about Spanish lotteries such as La Primitiva is because they’re old news. In fact, the Spanish La Primitiva is the world’s oldest lottery and has been in existence since 1763. Yet it attracts new players every year because it offers such excellent winning odds.
So if you’re tired of chasing after those massive US Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, try your luck on the Spanish La Primitiva instead.
You’ll be pleased to know that you can buy lottery tickets online for the Spanish la Primitiva from anywhere in the world. You don’t have to be a resident of Spain to win the lottery. And provided you buy your tickets from an online lottery ticket agent that gives you scanned copies of your official lottery tickets, it’s safe too. If you’re not familiar with the Spanish la Primitiva, here are some facts and figures to get you up to speed.
The starting jackpot for the Spanish la Primitiva is a modest €2 000 000, and although it’s not capped, the biggest the jackpot has ever got is €101 700 000. That figure was won by a single lucky ticket holder in October 2015. And that’s part of the beauty of the Spanish la Primitiva. It doesn’t take long for someone to win the jackpot.
To win the Spanish la Primitiva jackpot you’ll need to match six main numbers and the Reintegro. The main numbers are chosen from a field of 1 to 49, so it’s clear that this is a very simple lottery to play. But it does have a twist.
When you purchased your ticket you are automatically assigned a number which is called the Reintegro. You need to match all of your numbers, including the randomly assigned Reintegro number, in order to win the Jackpot. If you 'only' match the six numbers that you have chosen but not the Reintegro number, you win the first prize division. This can still get into the millions of Euros as the jackpot rolls over, so it's quite a good consolation prize.
But there’s another surprise in store for players. After the six main numbers are drawn, a seventh number is selected from the same drum. This becomes the Complimentario number and it only counts towards the second prize division - match five main numbers and the Complementario, and you can still walk away with a substantial windfall.
Speaking of prize division, the Spanish la Primitiva only has a total of seven. You’ll win a small prize even if you only match the Reintegro number which was assigned to your ticket upon purchase. Your odds of winning any Spanish la Primitiva prize are only one in 10. If you play the American lottery online you’ll know that it’s much tougher to win any prize. And again, this is what makes the Spanish la Primitiva so popular in its home country and with players around the world.
As with the American lotteries, you will have to pay tax on your Spanish la Primitiva winnings. Since 2013, all Spanish lottery winnings over €2500 are subject to a tax of 20%. All prizes less than €2500 are paid out tax-free. But the good news for non-residents is that you can apply for a tax rebate and your taxes may be paid back in full. Of course that doesn’t take into account the tax you may have to pay on your lottery winnings according to the laws of your own home country.
To say that the Spanish la Primitiva lottery doesn’t offer big jackpot isn’t entirely true. Since 2005 it has paid out jackpots of €24 920 000, €26 000 000, €32 000 000 and €73 000 000. As mentioned earlier, in October 2015 the jackpot reached a new record of €101 700 000 after rolling over 56 times. But it has been designed to pay out smaller jackpots more often which is why it’s ideal for players who are happy to win smaller amounts more often. Over the years, it has paid out billions in prize money.
The Spanish really do love their lotteries, and it’s estimated that 98% of the population buys a lottery ticket at least once a year. And, as with all lotteries it pays to play every draw. In October 2005, the Spanish la Primitiva conducted a special draw. It was a group of 23 bus drivers from Malaga who walked off with the €24 920 000 jackpot after playing with the same lotto numbers they’d been using since 1985. As the Spanish la Primitva lottery is so affordable, and offer such good odds, you could stretch your lottery ticket budget and afford to play every week.
There are two draws for the Spanish la Primitiva every week and these are held on Thursdays and Saturdays. That means you have two chances of getting your hands on the jackpot. And there’s a very good possibility you could win a handsome Spanish la Primitiva prize sooner than you think. With the holidays around the corner, buying a Spanish la Primitiva lottery ticket could be your key to an extended celebration.
