Spain's largest lottery organisation ONLAE offers Navidad, known as El Gordo, or the Fat One, it is the only single lottery draw in the world to award more than $1 billion in prizes.
Navidad captivates the entire nation. This can be seen not only in the popular hobby of collecting old lottery tickets, tickets from the first draw have been known to bring in excess of US$10,000, but also in ticket numbers that are held, indeed cherised, by familes. Some familes have reserved the same number for 50 years, passing it from generation to generation.
Sales during December for the annual Christmas draw of Navidad account for approximately 23% of total sales for ONLAE

First Draft to Privatize Spain’s Largest Lottery Organization Could be Ready by Next Summer; ONLAE Estimated to be Worth €3 Billion
MADRID, Spain (January 29, 2010) – According to a Spanish web site it was revealed yesterday that there are moves to privatize Organismo Nacional de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE), Spain's largest lottery organization...................Subscribers

Lottery Partnership Agreement with the Red Cross
SPAIN (Jamuary 19, 2010) -- Two drawings are coming to Red Cross funds. The Christmas lottery and a raffle in which the public business entity of the State Lotteries and Gaming, Loterias y Apuestas del Estado (LAE) provides a fraction of the proceeds to Red Cross...................Subscribers

Albacete Citizens Spending Less on State Lottery Games, But Slightly More on Euromillions
ALBACETE, Spain (January 18, 2010) – The citizens of Albacete province in South East Spain spent €89,863,117 on various Lotteries and Gaming of the State over the past year, which represents a decrease of 2.3% on the amount invested in 2008, when it amounted to €92,023,680 euros. The figures exclude the special Christmas raffle and El Niño draw.....................Subscribers

Government Has Approved A Royal Decree To Amend The Statutes Of The State Lotteries And Gaming
MADRID, Spain (January 18, 2010) -- The Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree to amend the Statute of the public company Lotteries and Gaming of the State, in compliance and the Law 17/2009 of November 23, on free access to services and activities exercise..................Subscribers

"El Niño" Sales Down 3.83 Percent in Granada This Year
MADRID, Spain (January 2, 2010) -- The citizens of Granada have spent on average €15.22 euros in the lottery of "El Niño", or 3.83 percent less than last year, ‘infocostatropical’ quoted a National Lotteries y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE) report.......................Subscribers

Lottery Sellers Threaten Strike Over Government’s Privatization Plans
MADRID, Spain (December 9, 2009) – According to local media reports lottery sellers in Spain have threatened to hold what would be their first ever strike against the government’s plans to allow companies in the private sector to sell tickets for the Spanish state lottery......................Subscribers

Per Capita Spend on the ‘FAT ONE’ Christmas Lottery Is Expected to be Up 16% in Guipúzcoa Province
Awards are dedicated to the figure of 2320.5 million, which accounts for 70% of 3.315 million in revenue. Assumes 16% more than the 56 euros for last year
GUIPÚZCOA, Spain (December 7, 2009) – In the densely populated coastal province of Guipúzcoa, each Gipuzkoa is expected to spend in this 2009 Christmas Lottery, EUR 64.50, according to estimates from the National Organization of State Lotteries and Gaming (ONLAE)....................Subscribers

Consumer Association Develops Information Campaign on the Purchase of Tickets for Christmas Lottery; Three Weeks to Gordo Christmas
MADRID, Spain (December 3, 2009) – Local media sources report that the Association of Consumers and Users Murcia (Consumur), integrated in FACUA-Consumers in Action, is developing an information campaign until January that includes a list of recommendations on buying tickets for the Christmas Lottery (El Gordo, the fat one)..........................Subscribers

Lottery / Gaming Spend in the Autonomous Region of Valencia in 2008 Reached €4.418 Million Euros, 10.2% Less Than in 2007
VALENCIA, Spain (November 27, 2009) -- Press reports Consell spokeswoman, Paula Sánchez de León, announced the adoption of the report approved by the Game Commission of the Autonomous Region of Valencia, for 2008. Gaming turnover in Valencia reportedly reached 4.418 million euros during the past year, which represented a decrease of 10.20% over 2007....................Subscribers

Lotteries Cancel Strike Over Privatization, But Have Called For A Demonstration on Dec. 9
MADRID, Spain (November 24, 2009) - The Government Lottery (ANAPAL, APLA and FENEPAL), supported by the UGT and CCOO, have canceled a strike planned for today, but have called for a demonstration on December 9 at the Ministry of Finance..................Subscribers

Lottery Sellers in Spain Concerned Over Privatization Rumors
Congress Last Month Approved an Opening Up of State Lotteries in Spain
MADRID, Spain (November 21, 2009) – According to a leading news service lottery sellers in Spain are protesting at what they consider is a back-door privatization of their business...................Subscribers

Spain’s Christmas Lottery Sales at Same Levels as Last year, Despite Overall Sales Down 3%
Mismo 'Gordo' en la Lotería de Navidad, mismo gasto
MADRID, Spain (November 18, 2009) – According to a local media report this year’s Christmas Lottery will offer the same prizes as last year, despite the fact that state bets are reportedly down 3 %.................Subscribers

Latino-Millions in 2010 - Spain and Mexico Signed Agreement to Launch a Weekly Lottery Drawing
SPAIN (October 28, 2009) - Spain and Mexico signed an agreement to launch a lottery drawing weekly. The joint venture was signed this week by Gonzalo Fernandez, president of the Spanish LAE, and Roaro Benjamín González, director general of the Mexican Lotenal.................Subscribers

Spanish State Lotteries and Betting Closer to Privatization
MADRID, Spain (October 28, 2009) -- The first steps towards a privatization process of State Lotteries and Betting in Spain involved two provisions that are included in the general stated budgets that have now been passed in Congress....................Subscribers

European Court Condemns Spain Over Discriminatory Taxation of Gambling
In the case of October 6, 2009 ruled against the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Spain for the discriminatory taxation of gambling (Case C-153/08).  The European Commission was able to successfully complete the infringement procedure against Spain in the essential point.
Article By: Lawyer, Martin Arendt, MBL-HSG
GRÜNWALD, Germany (October 12, 2009) -- The European Commission had in its application against Spain, one against European law contrary discriminatory taxation asserted. After Spanish rules are in fact profits from lotteries and betting, by the Loterías  y Apuestas del Estado (State Company for lotteries and betting), and from bodies  or units of the autonomous communities (similar to the Laender)  would be organized, as well as by the Spanish Red Cross or the ONCE ...................Subscribers

Spain's Largest Lottery Organization Sees More Players But Less Revenue
SPAIN (September 10, 2009) - A steady increase in unemployment in Spain has increased the number of people that expended money in state lottery, Organismo Nacional de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE), games during the last sixth months.................Subscribers

Christmas Lottery Starts Selling the First Half of July
Authorities stress that because of Malaga in February or even before they receive requests to purchase tickets for the drawing for the December 22
‎ANDALUCÍA, SPAIN (June 24, 2009) -- Start the countdown. And less need for government hang the poster of 'Lottery is Christmas.' And that is just a few weeks remaining to be purchased the tickets for this popular draw......................Subscribers

ONLAE estrena un nuevo salón de loterías que no podrá albergar la de Navidad
MADRID, Spain (April 27, 2009) -- Organismo Nacional de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE) today launched, in the Madrilenian district of Tetuan, a new Lotteries hall that will accommodate all the drawings that are celebrated in Spain, with the exception of the Christmas Lottery....................Subscribers

El Niño Lottery Gives Players A Second Chance In Spain
MADRID, Spain (January 5, 2009) -- The El Niño lottery returns tomorrow, Tuesday 6, for lottery players who were unlucky in the famous Christmas El Gordo, El Niño offers them a second chance..................Subscribers

Spaniards Shrug Off Gloom With Fat One, More Than €2 Billion Lottery Prize Split Thousands of Ways in Spain
MADRID, Spain (December 22, 2008) -- Thousands of lucky ticket holders in Spain may have found some relief from the country's economic malaise when the world's richest lottery paid out more than 2 billion euros in prize money...................Subscribers

Spanish State Lottery Reports a 3% Increase in gross Gaming Revenues in First Half of 2008
SPAIN (September 9, 2008) – The Spanish state lottery agency ONLAE (Organización Nacional de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado) has brushed off concerns over unemployment levels in Spain and a loss of consumer confidence, reporting a 3% increase in gross gaming revenues to €4.2 billion for the first half of 2008.................Subscribers

STL and Betware Have Delivered A Research, Development And Innovation Project To The Spanish National Lottery
Reykjavík, Iceland (July 29, 2008) -- Sistemas Técnicos de Loterías del Estado (STL) and Betware have developed and delivered an Internet Solution for the Spanish National Lottery (LAE) enabling LAE to sell its products via the Internet....................Subscribers

Hughes to Provide Broadband Satellite System for Spanish Lottery
GERMANTOWN, Maryland, USA (July 8, 2008) -- Hughes Network Systems today announced that Sistemas Tecnicos de Loterias del Estado (STL) has awarded its wholly owned subsidiary, HNS Ltd., a contract to provide a geographically redundant HN System Network Operations Center (NOC), 2800 HN7700S broadband satellite routers, and support/maintenance services for five years....................Subscribers

Betware Signs Contract With New Gaming Client
REYKJAVÍK, Iceland (August 22, 2007) -- Sistemas Tecnicos de Loterias del Estado (STL), the operator of the online systems for the Entidad Publica Empresarial Loterias y Apuestas del Estado (LAE), the Spanish National Lottery has signed a contract that makes Betware its interactive gaming service supplier.........Read the full story at: Vol.40 No.9

The Commission Takes Spain to the Court of Justice Over its Discriminatory Taxation of Lottery Winnings
BRUSSELS, Belgium (July 6, 2007) -- The European Commission has decided to refer Spain to the European Court of Justice for the way in which lottery winnings are taxed..........Subscribers