Best La Primitiva Lottery in 2023

La Primitiva is an official lottery in Spain that has its roots way back in the eighteenth century. It was introduced by King Carlos III of Spain as a means of generating money for public services that otherwise would have been funded by putting more taxes on the people of Spain.

It was originally known as 'Loteria por Numeros' (Lottery by Numbers) and took place in 1763 with 75% of the ticket sales going towards the prizes. The modern La Primitiva name came into existence in 1812, but was abolished by royal decree 50 years later in 1862.

With the increasing demands for more lotteries in the twentieth century, La Primitiva was relaunched in 1985 by the Organismo Nacional de Loterias y Apuestas del Estado, the government body dealing with Spanish lotteries. The original game did not include the Reintegro ball which was introduced into the game in 1991.

La Primitiva was a huge success and was the catalyst for the establishment of two further Spanish lotteries, BonoLoto in 1988 and El Gordo in 1993. Originally only open to Spanish citizens, anyone can now play Primitiva online.

Play Primitiva online for more convenience if you are physically in Spain. These players and players elsewhere will need to know how to play Primitiva online to enjoy the guaranteed jackpot of 3 million Euros and the 6 other prize tiers. La Primitiva is drawn bi-weekly on Thursday and Saturday in Madrid at 20.30 GMT and costs 1 Euro.

Players need to choose 6 numbers from a pool of 49 and select a number between 0-9 for the Reintegro ball. During the draw, 6 numbers are selected followed by a 7th which is called the complementary ball, and then the Reintegro ball number is chosen from a separate drum.

To win the jackpot, players need to match the first 6 numbers followed by the Reintegro number. If a player matches the Reintegro number only, they will be entitled to a refund of their ticket cost which is the 7th level prize. Players who match the complementary number with 5 of the winning numbers will win the third level prize.

The least number of winning numbers that gets a prize is 3 numbers. The prize money of each level is not fixed and is determined as different percentages of money collected from the ticket sales.

Winnings up to 40,000 Euros are tax free, but winnings over this amount are charged at a 20% tax rate. However, foreign players whose countries have an agreement with Spain may be able to get a refund on this amount. Winnings must be claimed within 3 months of the draw and are paid as lump sums only.

Players who bought their tickets from a lottery retail outlet will be able to collect prizes up to the value of 2,500 Euros. Larger prizes than this can be collected from selected banks in Spain or by visiting the HQ of Loterias y Apuestas del Estado. Online players will have small winnings deposited in their customer accounts with larger prizes being transferred directly in the player's bank account. Jackpot prizes need to be claimed in person from the HQ named above.