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Lotto 02 July 2025
El Gordo de Verano 2024
El Gordo de Verano 2025: Spain’s Summer Lottery!
EL GORDO DE VERANO
- What is El Gordo de Verano?
- How Does El Gordo de Verano Work?
- Odds of Winning
- Prize Distribution
- How Much Does it Cost?
- An Extraordinary Lottery
What is El Gordo de Verano?
El Gordo de Verano is the little sister Spain’s famous Christmas lottery, El Gordo. The Christmas version is one of the biggest lotteries in the world. Literally translated, “El Gordo de Verano” means “The Summer Fat Man”. Usually this would not be a term that you would want to hear while casually strolling along the beach, but in this case, it is definitely a good thing! “El Gordo” is a reference to the massive prize fund that makes the winter lottery so special. In 2022, “El Gordo” had a € 2.2billion (R45 billion) which certainly makes it a heavyweight in the world of lotteries!
When the Spanish summer arrives, El Gordo de Verano makes its appearance with a total prize fund of over €120 million (R2.4 billion). This prize fund is spread across fifteen different categories, giving even more opportunity to win. In fact, in El Gordo de Verano, one out of every three tickets is a winner!
How Does El Gordo de Verano Work?
In truth, El Gordo de Verano has more in common with a traditional raffle than a typical lottery – although it is much more lucrative! For the 2025 instalment, 100,000 tickets will be made available. These tickets which are numbered 00000 to 99999, and each one is produced ten times. For example, there will be ten tickets numbered 00123, 12321, 99888. These sets of ten tickets are referred to as a “series”.
When you decide to bet on El Gordo de Verano, you should also know that you don’t even need to purchase the entire ticket! This is because each ticket is divided in to 100 “shares” worth 1%. This means that there are a jaw dropping 100 million possible bets for you to take!
Now, bear in mind that if you have bought shares in a winning ticket, then you will receive a payout to match. For example, if you have bought a 10% share then you your payout will be 10% of the prize for that category. On the other hand, if you have bought the entire ticket, then you would win 100% of the prize.
Odds of Winning
You can travel far and wide, around the world a hundred times, and you will not find a national lottery where you have a better chance of winning the main prize! There are only 100,000 tickets, so you have a one in hundred thousand chance of winning the big prize. To out this into perspective, your odds of winning the South African Lotto are around 42 million to 1, while a ticket for the EuroMillions will give you a one in 139 million chance.
El Gordo de Verano is designed specifically to give as many people as possible the chance to win. This is why the tickets are divided into the aforementioned series and shares. There are also fifteen categories (ways to win) which means that one out of every three tickets will be win some sort of prize!
Prize Distribution
Now, let’s look at the important thing of all – the size of the payouts! The main prize for holding the winning tickets is a guaranteed minimum of €2 million (R40 million) if you have purchased the entire ticket. If your ticket is drawn second or third, then you would be in line for payouts of €600,000 (R12 million) and €200,000 (R4 million) respectively.
Beyond the top three prizes, there are 12 more prize tiers producing over 36,000 winners! These range in value from €200 (R4,000) to €8,000 (R163,000) so there is great value to be had even further down the prize chain!
How Much Does it Cost?
How much entry costs depends entirely on you! At Lottoland ZA we have several different options for you, from taking a 1% share to buying the entire ticket. The minimum bet is R1000, which gives you a share of 1/100, meanwhile buying the entire ticket will cost R5,0000
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Price List |
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|---|---|---|---|
| TICKET SHARE | COST | ||
| 1/100 | R100 | ||
| 1/50 | R180 | ||
| 1/20 | R400 | ||
| 1/10 | R700 | ||
| 1/5 | R1,320 | ||
| 1/2 | R3,000 | ||
| 1/1 | R5,000 | ||
Before buying your ticket, you should think about your strategy. Maybe you want to buy the complete ticket so that you can collect the entire payout for yourself. Alternatively, you could spread your investment across several tickets, increasing your chance to win but reducing your ownership of the prize. Whatever your strategy, the price list below should help you to decide.
An Extraordinary Lottery
Overall, El Gordo de Verano is a different type of lottery to what we are used to. As mentioned previously, it can almost be considered a raffle with extraordinary payouts and results that produce spectacular win rates. While the highest payout may be lower than in the likes of Powerball or EuroMillions, the fact that there will be over 36,000 winners makes it worth a second look!
Last Updated 3 July 2025
EL GORDO DE VERANO FAQ
WHAT IS EL GORDO DE VERANO?
El Gordo de Verano is Spain’s summer lottery draw, often considered the seasonal counterpart to the world-famous El Gordo Christmas lottery. Held annually on the first Saturday of July, it features a massive prize pool of over €120 million (R2.4 billion), spread across 15 prize categories. The name translates to “The Summer Fat One,” referring to its generous payouts.
HOW DOES EL GORDO DE VERANO DIFFER FROM A TRADITIONAL LOTTERY?
Unlike traditional lotteries where players choose numbers, El Gordo de Verano works more like a raffle. Each ticket carries a unique five-digit number between 00000 and 99999, and each number is printed 10 times as part of a “series”. Tickets can be purchased whole or in shares, and the winnings are split based on the share owned.
WHEN DOES THE EL GORDO DE VERANO DRAW TAKE PLACE?
The El Gordo de Verano draw takes place once a year on the first Saturday of July. In 2025, the draw is scheduled for Saturday, 5 July.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF WINNING EL GORDO DE VERANO?
The odds of winning the main prize are 1 in 100,000, since there are only 100,000 unique ticket numbers. That’s significantly better than most traditional lotteries. For comparison, the odds of winning the South African Lotto jackpot are around 1 in 42 million. El Gordo de Verano also boasts a 1-in-3 chance of winning any prize, thanks to its 15 prize categories.
WHERE CAN I BET ON EL GORDO DE VERANO IN SOUTH AFRICA?
South African players can bet on the outcome of El Gordo de Verano through Lottoland South Africa. Lottoland offers various ticket share options, allowing you to choose how much you want to invest and how much of the prize you'd like to win.
HOW DOES EL GORDO DE VERANO COMPARE TO OTHER LOTTERIES LIKE POWERBALL OR EUROMILLIONS?
While El Gordo de Verano’s top prize is smaller than those of Powerball or EuroMillions, its winning odds are far more favourable. With only 100,000 ticket numbers and a 1-in-3 chance of winning any prize, it offers excellent value for players looking for better win potential, even if the jackpots aren’t as large. It’s also unique in allowing players to buy shares of tickets instead of whole entries.
T
by
Tom
What I Cover: I am always intrigued to discover how lotteries from around the world can seem so different. Thanks to this interest, you will find me writing about the histories, traditions and records of lotteries from every corner of the world!
I am also an avid sports fan, so from time to time I will also cover in-depth guides to help you understand how sports betting works.
My Background: I have been working in the industry since 2020. In that time I have written countless articles related to lotteries, sports, casinos and the history of gambling.
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