Malaga expects to exceed 100-million-euro milestone in lottery sales for Spain's bumper Christmas draw on Sunday

Ticket sales for the massive Christmas lottery draw in Spain are well on track to exceed 100 million euros for the first time in Malaga province.

While still awaiting the final figure, as tickets for the lottery drawn on Sunday 22 December can still be sold until the day before, Spain's state lottery organisation (Loterías y Apuestas del Estado) pointed out that there has been a rise in sales and it is probable a new record will be set in Malaga for the fourth consecutive year. "It is very likely that sales will exceed 100 million euros," sources from the organisation said.

To support the forecast, sources referred to the latest official data, that of last year, when sales in Malaga province reached 99,255,040 euros (4.37% more than in 2022) and 496,275.20 tickets were sold. For 2024 in Malaga, 518,852 tickets have been allocated in the authorised sale points for an amount of 103.77 million euros. Sources said that if there is an increase in sales, the 100 million milestone will be surpassed.

Sources also added that sales are going "at a good pace" and that it is in the last two weeks before the draw that the number of tickets sold increases dramatically. This is also attested to by the long queues of customers seen waiting to purchase their tickets.

Lottery sales for the special Christmas draw in Malaga have increased by 61.3%, according to figures for the past decade. Sales have gone from 61.52 million euros in Malaga province in 2014 to 99.25 million euros last year, which is 37.73 million more. In these ten years, growth was continuous until it slowed down in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when sales fell by 70.9 million euros.

On the causes of this increase, sources pointed out factors such as the increase in population and purchasing power, as well as the rise in the arrival of tourists who can buy their tickets when they come on holiday as they are available for purchase from July onwards.

One of the novelties this year is that the number of series per number has increased from 185 to 193 in order to meet the demand, which has been increasing in recent years.

These numbers can still be purchased at the 306 sale points in Malaga, 112 of which are in Malaga city and the rest, 194, spread throughout the province.

Of the numbers that these offices put on sale, the endings that sold out first were the traditional 13, 15 and 69, according to sources, who added that the odd numbers are usually the most sought after. Although five is the number on which El Gordo jackpot has fallen most often (32 times), the next most popular numbers are even numbers: four and six (27 times each), eight (25) and zero (23), while one is the number on which the first prize has ended the least (only eight times).

This year the numbers ending in 24 have also been in great demand, as well as the numbers that included the dates of the fire in Valencia (22224) and of the 'Dana' storm that also affected Valencia (29104).

Last year, Malaga sale points distributed a total of 5.73 million euros in prizes thanks to the five tenths of the El Gordo jackpot prize that were sold in the province; one tenth of the second prize and five fifth prizes.