El Gordo de la Primitiva is the name of a lottery game that is played in Spain every Sunday. If you are looking for details about the famous El Gordo lottery that is played just once a year at Christmas time (and which also happens to be the biggest lottery game in the world) you will find the information that you need on our dedicated El Gordo de Navidad page.
How to Play El Gordo de la Primitiva
El Gordo de la Primitiva requires players to select five main numbers from 01 to 54 plus one Matrix number from 0 to 9. When playing the game offline, numbers are selected by marking a play slip that provides separate selection grids for the main numbers and the Matrix numbers. You also need to mark how many draws you want to enter your numbers for, with the maximum option being six consecutive draws. Those of you who play the game online will find it even easier to do so? simply use your mouse cursor to check the numbers that you want to play and the number of draws that you want to enter, and then click to buy your virtual tickets.
Unlike most lottery games that hold their draws in the evenings, the El Gordo de la Primitiva draw takes place in Madrid every Sunday afternoon, at 1pm. Five main numbers and one Matrix number are drawn, and any ticket that matches all of those numbers wins the jackpot, which has a minimum value of ?5 million. There are also plenty of consolation prizes that can be won, as illustrated in the table below:
| Prize Level | How to Win |
|---|---|
| Jackpot | Match 5 main numbers + Matrix number |
| 2 | Match 5 main numbers only |
| 3 | Match 4 main numbers + Matrix number |
| 4 | Match 4 main numbers only |
| 5 | Match 3 main numbers + Matrix number |
| 6 | Match 3 main numbers only |
| 7 | Match 2 main numbers + Matrix number |
| 8 | Match 2 main numbers only |
| 9 | Match the Matrix number only |
Prizes
In Spain, prizes of €40,000 or more are taxed at a rate of 20 percent. If the jackpot is won by more than one ticket then the sum will be divided equally between the winners, and if no player wins the jackpot it will roll over to the next game.
La Primitiva
We know it sounds confusing, but in addition to the El Gordo de la Primitiva game there is also a twice-weekly La Primitiva game played every Thursday and Saturday in Spain. This is a straightforward 6 from 49 lottery with a guaranteed minimum jackpot of ?3 million, and although the name sounds very similar to El Gordo de la Primitiva, it is a completely different game, so you should bear that in mind when you check the lottery results!