The El Gordo de la Primitiva from the Spanish National Lottery is one of many different lottery draws that are run by Loterias y Apuestas del Estado and governed by the Spanish Government as part of the Loteria Nacional.

The term El Gordo is typically associated with the massive Christmas draw held every year in Madrid, Spain, on December 22nd. The Loteria de Navidad – El Gordo sweepstake lottery – is so well known because it has one of the largest lottery prize funds available on earth which runs into the BILLIONS.

This Christmas draw is also known as “The Fat One” and in December 2008 had a pot of €2.6 BILLION to be won!

However – the El Gordo lotto term also applies to this Spanish National Lottery Sunday draw which takes place every week throughout the year.

We will take a closer look here at the El Gordo de la Primitiva…

The El Gordo de la Primitiva is one of the weekly offerings from the Spanish National Lottery - Loteria Nacional - along with their other draws Bonoloto Daily 6/49, Saturday Loteria Primitiva 6/49, Thursday Loteria Primitiva 6/49, the National Lottery draw lotteries and the National Lottery Special Draws of El Gordo, El Niño & San Ildefonso, it makes for an interesting wager and one which can throw up some sizeable jackpots.

A double matrix is used for the El Gordo de la Primitiva, one matrix of 5/54 and a separate one of 1/10.

This lottery is drawn every week on Sundays at 1pm CET (Central Eurpoean Time) and is made in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

El Gordo de la Primitiva jackpots start off at €5 million and each time it is not won, it is added onto the next draw increasing the jackpot figure available and continues like this until someone wins.

Having taken a good look at all of the lottery products in the Spanish National Lottery - Loteria Nacional - portfolio, we are happy to recommend the El Gordo la Primitiva as one that would be well worth a flutter if you are considering which one to play in.

The El Gordo de la Primitiva uses what’s known as a double matrix – one of 5/54 and one of 1/10 - which means that when playing this Spanish lotto you need to first select 5 numbers from a pool of numbers from 1 to 54 and then select a “bonus” number from a pool of numbers from 1 to 10.

If you match all 5 of the main numbers and also the bonus number, you will be an El Gordo de la Primitiva jackpot winner.

There are other cash prizes to be won too and in total there are 9 different ways in which you can win on this Spanish lottery.

Other prize categories are for matching 5 main numbers, 4 main numbers plus the “bonus” number, 4 main numbers, 3 main numbers plus the “bonus” number, 3 main numbers, 2 main numbers plus the “bonus” number, 2 main numbers or even none of the main numbers just the “bonus” number.

A facility is available when playing the EL Gordo de la Primitiva similar to the “Lucky Dip” that is used in the UK National Lottery or Europe’s Euromillions – which means that you can choose to let the computer randomly select your numbers for you if you are playing with one of the online agencies.

So, playing the El Gordo de la Primitiva is simple…just select your own 6 numbers or let the computer generate them automatically for you.

Each entry on the EL Gordo de la Primitiva game costs just €1.50.

Normally, to play in any games run by the Spanish National Lottery – Loteria Nacional – you would have to be a resident of Spain but now that you can buy lottery tickets from global online lottery ticket sales companies such as TheLotter you can take part in the fun, no matter where in the world you live.

This is excellent news if you live outside of Spain but want to play in some of the world’s biggest lotteries and ensure your entry into the next draw or just simply wish to enjoy the convenience of being able to buy lottery tickets online for the Spanish Lottery.

Once you have entered into the El Gordo Lottery, you are then easily able to check your Spanish Lottery results online to see how you have done and to find out if you have become one of the lucky winners.

You must be 18 years of age to be eligible to purchase a ticket for any of the Loteria Nacional - Spanish National Lottery games.