Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (SELAE), the lottery operator for games such as El Gordo de la Primitiva and EuroMillions, suspended draws and ticket sales from 15th March after a state of alarm was declared in Spain due to the spread of coronavirus.
The nation went into lockdown, with citizens only allowed outdoors for limited reasons, and it was decided that lotteries should be brought to a halt in the interests of public health.
With the lockdown now coming to an end and the government gradually de-escalating the crisis, SELAE is hoping to be in a position to reopen sales from Monday 18th May.
In this scenario, draws would start the same week for La Primitiva, while Spanish players would also be able to take part in EuroMillions again. EuroMillions draws have continued throughout the outbreak because they take place in France and tickets have still been on sale in the other eight participating countries. However, there has been no participation in Spain since the middle of March.
If sales resume on the anticipated date, draws for El Gordo de la Primitiva and Bonoloto will resume the following week. The most recent El Gordo de la Primitiva draw was on the day the suspension came into effect - Sunday 15th March - and the next one is now scheduled to be on 31st May.
A second scenario has also been announced in case it is not possible to relaunch as early as hoped. In this case, tickets for all games would go on sale on Thursday 21st May. The only exception would be EuroMillions – sales for which would resume on Saturday 23rd May. All draws would then restart from 25th May.
Players have not had to worry about coming forward to claim prizes during the Spanish lockdown because SELAE also suspended the claims period. There is normally a three-month period for players to receive prizes, but anyone who still had a ticket in date when the state of alarm began remains eligible to collect their winnings.
