December is generally a time of festivities and celebrations for a lot of people around the United Kingdom. Christmas coincides with the month, as people take leave from work to go on holiday or stay at home and spend extra time with family and friends.

It's also an opportunity for Brits to try something different, which they otherwise might not have capacity or inclination for during preceding 11 months.

The number of Brits who bet on El Grodo at Lottoland UK generally increases as the draw gets closer and closer. In late 2022, the tie was all the more evident because a lot of UK football fans were also following the progress of Spain in the World Cup on the go in Qatar. El Gordo is a massively popular lottery in Spain. The Spanish, English and people from all around the world enjoy playing El Gordo.

El Gordo - The fat one

The El Gordo draw takes place once a year, on 22 December. Unlike traditional lotteries, it does not have balls with numbers. The El Gordo draw is effectively a raffle. Tickets are bought and each one features a number from 00000 to 99999.

Players win if the numbers on their tickets match those drawn from one of two huge drums.

The biggest prize up for grabs is 'El Gordo'. The direct translation of this is 'The fat one'. There are smaller prizes available, too. While there is understandably a lot of focus on the size of the jackpot, which frequently stretches into the multi-millions, there is a lot to be said about the significance in size of the lower-tier prizes.

El Gordo origins

The very first El Gordo draw was a ceremonial affair in the 1800s. It happened just a few days before Spain ratified their constitution. The draw has taken place each and every year since. It even happened through Spain's civil war in the 20th century. Many of the ceremonial aspects of the draw back then have been retained today. The draw comes with plenty of modern fanfare, too.

These days, the El Gordo draw ceremony can span as long as three hours and even goes longer on some occasions. Children singing out the winning numbers are part of the theatre of it all. 

There have been some really nice feelgood stories that have come out of the draw as well. In 2011, two housewives' associations entered and won. They shared the €4 million jackpot. 

In terms of what winners of the El Gordo or other lottery jackpots do with their newfound wealth, there are many examples of different approaches.

Some decide quite soon what they will do with their winnings, at least in part if not entirely. These decisions can include going on holidays overseas, investing in education, paying off debt, buying houses, blessing others with money and more.

There are also those who choose to just wait a period before going ahead with some decisions. During this period, the interim amount can really grow on the back of interest and compound interest. It can be an interesting study in delayed gratification.