How to safely share tenths of how much the Treasury takes

You had made a firm promise that this Christmas would not happen, but if the arrival of this season is as inexorable as that phrase that “winter is approaching”, you can also use a metaphor from the same series to resolve that… Yes, there is also another symbolic debt that, as always, you will pay again without being a Lannister. You probably already have, or are about to get, a tenth of the Extraordinary Christmas Lottery Draw 2024. With all the doubts that this entails.

In the following guide you will be able to find answers to the main questions that tend to generate uncertainty among many every year, from how to safely share a tenth in a group to the mandatory contribution to the Spanish coffers with part of the prize. Also all the new features and changes that come this time, and which, in summary, mainly translate into more money.

Where do you buy the Christmas Lottery?

Do you really need an answer that isn’t in the bar next door to your house or in that nice lady’s fruit shop? Anyway, the first thing you should know is that the Christmas lottery can only be purchased in establishments authorized by the State, mainly lottery administrations, but for example also some authorized street vendors. Since summer, they can be purchased at more than 10,500 points of sale.

As it could not be otherwise, you can also buy tenths of the extraordinary draw through the Internet, either through specialized pages and mobile applications or on the State Lotteries and Betting website itself. One of the advantages of digital purchasing is that there may be a greater possibility of finding the specific number you want and not depending on what is in the store that you physically visit.

For the digital purchase and sale operation to be completely secure, it must be taken into account that the website must have security encryption (the padlock icon at the beginning of the browser’s address bar) and that a safeguard must be provided that determines the validity and sale of the tenth.

What changes with this year’s edition? Will there be much more money at stake?

Following in the footsteps of previous years, this edition also comes with new features, mainly in the number of awards. The number of series and, therefore, numbers grows. Specifically, there will be 193 series of 100,000 numbers each, which means that a total of 2,702 million euros in prizes will be up for grabs. There are eight more series than those of 2023.

This means that, effectively, your calculations and logic are still intact. There will also be a greater number of winners and that will have an impact on the amount of the prizes.

How much can you play according to each award? How is El Gordo going?

To the point, this is what you really want to be very clear about to know the level of spectacle to give when jumping off the couch. How much does it play if it plays? We are talking about a draw that puts almost three billion euros in prizes at stake. This is the amount for the five grand prizes, taking into account that the number of winners is increased:

If you haven’t won any of the big five, don’t even think about throwing away the ticket. You may still have gotten a pinch with the approaches, a stone or the consolation of reimbursement.

In the case of approximations, if you have a tenth with the number before or after the first, second or third of the grand prizes, you are in luck. You will get 2,000, 1,250 euros or 960 euros per tenth, respectively. In the case of the pedrea, these are the mythical prizes of 100 euros per tenth (1,000 euros for the series). There will be 1,794 of these.

To finish, 1,000 euros are also awarded to the series for those numbers that have the hundreds of the first, second and third lucky number (297 prizes), as well as the hundreds of the fourth (198 prizes). Also the numbers that match the last two figures of the first, second and third winner will take another 1,000 euros to the series (there are 297 prizes of this type).

Stop, stop, stop… what is a tenth and what is a bill?

Maybe we should have started here. It is very simple, but it usually generates many doubts among those who participate for the first time. One tenth costs 20 euros and is one tenth of a lottery ticket, while the ticket is a set of ten tenths of the same number and series. Buying a ticket would mean paying 200 euros. In turn, the draw has 180 series and each one has 100,000 tickets.

How do you collect a Christmas lottery prize?

If you have stopped at this point, I hope it is because we have the same combination that has brought you here. To collect a prize it will be mandatory to present the tenth or, failing that, the receipt. In the case of amounts equal to or greater than 2,500 euros, the collection will be made in a series of authorized financial entities that can be consulted on the Lotteries website.

If the prizes are less than this amount, payment must be made at one of the 10,500 authorized points of sale. Payment will be immediate, once the verification period ends, and the winner may choose payment by check or bank transfer.

Be careful, they will not be able to force you to open an account in a bank, much less make any type of commission for the operation. Also, do not delay in carrying out the payment procedures, because the validity of the tenth will expire three months after the draw is held.

Do I have to include it in the income tax return?

The first thing you need to know is that if the prize involves a tax, this will be automatically deducted from the total, so it is not necessary to declare it. Lotteries is responsible for both providing the tax and the data of the winning people. Of course, only if you are a resident in Spain.

How do you share a Christmas lottery ticket safely?

This is probably the biggest headache for friends, family, and clubs every time the Christmas lottery draw arrives. For a quite obvious reason, the very essence of this lottery, its great social component, for which historically a lot has always been played sharing with other people. However, it has also been a great source of problems and clashes throughout the history of the draw. But you can avoid it or at least minimize risks without losing friends or family.

In this sense, the tenths can be shared, but it is important to clarify several issues. The tenth corresponds to a bearer document that requires that, if shared and with prizes of more than 2,500 euros, all participants must be identified. It will have to be done in the financial institutions that are authorized to collect the prize.

There are many cases of problems and troubles between friends or family due to not leaving a written record that the tenth is being shared. Probably, the best option -beyond spending money on notaries- is to make a photocopy of the tenth (with both sides) for each participant with the corresponding signatures and with the following information: name, surname, ID of each person and the amount of money you have contributed, as well as who is in charge of depositing and keeping the tenth. It is also convenient to add the exact data of the draw, such as the number, series, fraction, etc.

Another method that has become popular with new technologies is to use a WhatsApp group or another similar messaging application and share photographs of the tickets, also specifying the amount that each participant plays or the payment receipts. However, in the case of a judicial process it is safer to have the aforementioned document.

If my tenth is broken, am I still poor?

Don’t panic, this lottery wasn’t going to make you rich either. Having clarified this, if a winning ticket or ticket has been damaged, you will have to go to a Lottery point of sale to fill out the payment request form and leave the ticket that will be sent to Lotteries to be examined and its authenticity validated.

Logically, to avoid this type of situation it is better to keep each tenth well and try not to fold it or carry it in your pocket in any way. However, this is not always the case. In extreme situations, such as the ticket having been put through the washing machine, it is advisable not to try to reconstruct it by gluing it, but rather it is better to carefully collect all the fragments and store them in an envelope or plastic container.

What do I do if my tenth has been stolen? Okay, I confess, what if I’ve lost it?

Whether the ticket has been lost or stolen, it is essential to go to the National Police, Civil Guard or a court and file the corresponding complaint as soon as there is evidence. In addition, you will have to ensure that it was purchased, so it never hurts to save the purchase receipt. It is very important to carry out this procedure before the draw is held to record the theft if it is awarded and prevent collection. To do this, you must notify the State Lottery and Betting Legal Department as soon as possible.

I also have to watch the draw on TV with my family. How do I pretend to be in control of the issue? Does it last long?

You already have the tickets purchased and now it’s time to be prepared for the big day. The draw will be held on December 22, 2022 at the Teatro Real in Madrid, starting at 9 in the morning. Before it begins, the table responsible for the draw must be set up, then take the balls to the hopper and begin filling the corresponding drums. There will be one with numbers and another with the prizes.

With the balls inside, the president of the table will order the drums to be sealed and turned over, determining the start of the draw. It works in the following way. In a drum there are 100,000 balls with numbers, while in the prize drum there will be 1,807.

The system for singing numbers is done through tables. Each of them will consist of 200 balls (again, one hundred for the numbers and one hundred for the prizes), until there are no balls left in the pot corresponding to the prizes. On average, it usually lasts about four hours.

Now seriously, how difficult is it to win the lottery? And El Gordo?

The extraordinary Christmas raffle stands out for an increase in the possibilities of being able to obtain a prize, as well as the fact that these are many more distributed due to their quantity. But yes, that’s still what it is, another raffle in which it is easier not to win a single cent than to win it. However, when asked how likely it is to get a pinch, Loterías has an official table in which it gives approximate figures. Judge for yourselves.

(Approximate figures. Source: official table of State Lotteries and Betting)