Spain hosted the first-ever La Primitiva, drawing way back in 1762, but the modern version as we know it was established in 1985. The name refers to its 250+ year history and serves as a reminder that this is one of the oldest, most established lotteries anywhere globally. It is also a few lotteries anywhere to accumulate a total prize pool exceeding €100 million.
It is only natural that any lottery capable of awarding that much money in one shot generates considerable interest from players worldwide. This is especially true for those who live in countries where the biggest lotto pales compared to the jackpots regularly handed out in La Primitiva drawings. Whatever your motivations may be, it is easy to buy La Primitiva tickets online:
Best La Primitiva Lottery Sites
La Primitiva broke its own record in October of 2015 when it paid out a massive €98.4 million jackpot thanks to dozens of drawings passing without a top prize winner. The longer this one goes without paying, the bigger the potential prizes become. Eventually, lotteries of this type grow so large that the media gets involved, people buy more tickets, and the jackpot grows even faster than usual. That’s how the massive jackpots get to rolling.
Once someone wins the top jackpot, La Primitiva resets with a €2 million jackpot on the next drawing and begins growing from there. With two drawings a week and a high percentage of the Spanish population participating regularly, jackpots often grow to be worth €10 million or more.
How La Primitiva Lottery Works
La Primitiva uses a 6/49 system in which you pick six numbers from 1-49. Additionally, a “reintegro” number from 0-9 is picked at random and automatically assigned to your ticket. In the end, your ticket will consist of six numbers that you chose yourself plus the random reintegro number.
Six prize levels offer real money payouts depending on how many matches your ticket achieves during the next drawing. At the high end, you win the jackpot if you match all six numbers plus the reintegro number. Lower prize tiers offer payouts for matching anywhere from the reintegro only to matching all six numbers without the reintegro. The longer the odds, the bigger the prize.
Drawings are held every Thursday and Saturday evening, with ticket purchases closing about five hours before the next drawing. If you purchase your ticket after the cutoff time, it will be automatically entered into the following drawing. Eight total balls are selected at random during each drawing; six regular numbers, the reintegro number, plus one complimentary number.
La Primitiva Prizes and Payouts
Ultimately, your goal is to match all six numbers plus the reintegro. Failing that, you still have a 1 in 10 shot at winning something. One of the nice things about playing La Primitiva online is that it’s not stingy on giving back money to the players. Below is an overview of the various prize levels.
The prizes listed in this chart come from that record-setting jackpot mentioned previously. Keep in mind that your actual prize value will vary depending on how long the jackpot has been rolling over and how many other winning tickets there are in your prize level.
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The Optional Joker Add-On
Every time you buy a La Primitiva ticket, you have an option to pay an extra €1 per drawing. Choosing to play the Joker results in your lottery ticket being printed with a randomly generated seven-digit number.
Drawings for this game also happen twice a week immediately after the main La Primitiva drawing. Match two or more joker numbers, and you win one of the following fixed prizes:
- Match all 7 digits: €1,000,000
- Match 6: €100,000
- Match 5: €10,000
- Match 4: €1,000
- Match 3: €100
- Match 2: €10
What happens if I win La Primitiva?
If you buy La Primitiva tickets online, your lottery site will credit your player account with small to medium-sized payouts. If you’re lucky enough to win a huge payout, your lottery site will contact you and discuss your options. This may even include scheduling a flight to Spain so you can claim your money in person from lottery officials.
Can I buy La Primitiva subscriptions online?
Yes. You can buy ongoing subscriptions from the La Primitiva website (if you live in Spain) or at any of our other recommended lottery sites. Subscriptions automatically enter you in future drawings for as long as you want. Also, you have the option to let the system choose new numbers at random for every drawing or to pick one set of numbers on your own that is always used.
Key Facts and Figures
- Drawings: Twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays at 20:30 GMT
- Record jackpot: €98.4 million
- Minimum jackpot: €2,000,000
- Odds of winning the big one: 1 in 139,838,160
- Odds of winning any prize at all: 1 in 10
- Supported causes: cancer charities, the Red Cross, and Spanish sports