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El Gordo is widely recognized as the biggest and richest lottery in the world.
Some of the things that make it so special include:
- Only 2 big draws per year: July and December
- Incredible 1 in 3 odds of winning a prize
- Unique style of game that lends itself well to group play
El Gordo is played different than a standard lotto-style game, so we've provided
descriptions below to help you understand and enjoy one of the most popular lottery games
the world over.
El Gordo Tickets
El Gordo tickets are about the size of a sheet of paper (approximately 8 inches x 11 inches,
or 20.3 cm x 28 cm), and are divided into 10 smaller tickets (called "decimas"),
each with the same number. You can buy either the entire ticket of 10 decimas, or you can buy a fraction
of the ticket by buying less than 10 decimas.
The prize you win is divided by your ownership amount of the entire ticket. For example, if you buy 5
decimas (out of the 10 decimas available for the ticket) and your ticket wins US$1000, your share of the prize
would be US$500, or one-half of the prize awarded for your ticket. If you bought 1 decima, your share
would be US$100, or one-tenth of the prize for your ticket.
As you can imagine, this prize structure works great for both individual and group play.
Methods of Play
On FatElGordo.com, there are several ways to play, including:
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Buy an entire ticket |
If your ticket wins a prize, you will collect 100% of the prize. |
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Buy 1 - 9 decimas from one ticket |
If your ticket wins a prize, you will collect a percentage of the prize,
depending on the number of decimas you purchase.
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Buy 2 or more decimas, each from a different ticket |
Increases your chances of winning a prize by having multiple ticket numbers,
but decreases the amount of the prize by spreading out your wager.
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How to Win
One of the best things about El Gordo is the great odds of winning a prize. The chart
below provides a list of the different ways your ticket can win in the December 22, 2004 drawing.
| Prize Level |
No. of
Prizes |
How to Win |
Each Prize (US$) |
Total Payout (US$) |
| First Prize |
195 |
First Prize |
$2.4 Million |
$475.0 Million |
| Second Prize |
195 |
Second Prize |
$1.2 Million |
$228.0 Million |
| Third Prize |
195 |
Third Prize |
$584,592 |
$114.0 Million |
| Fourth Prize |
390 |
Fourth Prize |
$243,580 |
$95.0 Million |
| Fifth Prize |
780 |
Fifth Prize |
$58,459 |
$45.6 Million |
| Subsidiary Prizes |
390 |
One digit higher or lower than the 1st Prize Ticket Number |
$24,358 |
$9.5 Million |
|
390 |
One digit higher or lower than the 2nd Prize Ticket Number |
$14,615 |
$5.7 Million |
|
390 |
One digit higher or lower than the 3rd Prize Ticket Number |
$11,692 |
$4.6 Million |
|
19,305 |
First 3 digits of the 1st Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$23.5 Million |
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19,305 |
First 3 digits of the 2nd Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$23.5 Million |
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19,305 |
First 3 digits of the 3rd Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$23.5 Million |
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128,505 |
Last 2 digits of the 1st Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$156.5 Million |
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128,505 |
Last 2 digits of the 2nd Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$156.5 Million |
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128,505 |
Last 2 digits of the 3rd Prize Ticket Number |
$1,218 |
$156.5 Million |
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1,286,805 |
Last digit of the 1st Prize Ticket Number |
$244 |
$313.4 Million |
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298,545 |
Bonus Number |
$1,218 |
$363.6 Million |
| Total Prizes |
2,031,705 |
Total Cash Payout |
$2.19 Billion |
Prize Payments
70% of all monies invested in El Gordo are returned to players in cash prizes
— compared to only 45% or 50% paid out by North American and European Lottos.
Cash prizes are paid out in a single lump-sum.
All cash prizes are free from Spanish Government taxes. Whatever amount you win, you keep in full.
Following the drawing, we will automatically check each ticket played at FatElgordo.com
to determine the winning tickets. All players will be notified by e-mail of the drawing
results, as well as any prize(s) they have won.
If you win any prize less than $600,
your prize is instantly credited to your FatElgordo.com online account. You may then
choose to use the funds in your online account towards a future purchase at FatElgordo.com.
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