The history of the Lotería Nacional, through its 200 years of existence, is comprised of dates that have been marking its evolution and, at the same time, have maintained its continuity. Some of the more significant dates are:

 

• 1812 - The First Draw of the Modern Lottery is held in Cádiz.


• 1813 - The paper notes are replaced by wooden balls.


• 1849 - To give a new boost to the lottery and spread it to almost all of Spain's towns, provincial offices are set up in all the head judicial districts and, by extension, everywhere they can be sustained, by the Royal Order of 1 July.


• 1850 - Its first metal drums were introduced in February.


• 1863 - First issue of two series in some lotteries.


• 1892 - The name "Sorteo de Navidad" (Christmas Lottery) appears for the first time on the prize leaflet made for the lottery that was to be held on 23 December of that year.


• 1897 - This year, the name "Sorteo de Navidad" appears on the lottery décimos (tenths).


• 1919 - Three monthly draws are permanently implemented.


• 1936-1939 - Draws are held in various cities of the zones into which the Civil War has divided Spain.


• 1940 - Tickets begin to be printed at the Spanish National Stamp and Coinage Factory - Royal Mint.


• 1941 - Starting in September, refunds are established for all the ordinary and extraordinary draws. The measure was a success and signified a definite increase in sales.


• 1956 - The current 'Instrucción de Loterías' (Lottery Regulations) is approved.


• 1957 - First televised draw.


• 1958 - Spain attends the 2nd International State Lottery Conference held in Brussels.


• 1960 - A monographic theme begins to appear on the lottery tickets, thus converting the décimo into a beautiful and excellent vehicle of culture.


• 1962 - The 4th International State Lottery Conference is held in Madrid; at the same time, the first lottery using the multiple drum system is held at the Spanish Theatre of Madrid and the International Lottery Exhibition opens, in commemoration of the 2nd centennial of the Spanish Lottery.


• 1963 - The current building of the Lotería Nacional is opened on Calle de Guzmán El Bueno.


• 1964 - The first lottery in the provinces is held in San Sebastian. In the lottery held on 25 April, a million tickets are issued for one single lottery for the very first time.


• 1966 - It is established that the payment of prizes can be made indistinctly at any lottery outlet.


• 1969 - Draw No. 5,000 of the Lotería Nacional is held on 4 March in Cádiz, where the first lottery was held in 1812.


• 1974 - The services of the Lotería Nacional are computerised, introducing modern automated techniques in the ticket distribution process.


• 1976 - The Lotería Nacional programme reaches 50 lotteries a year and magnetic numbering for the tickets is introduced.


• 1978 - An extraordinary lottery called "Sorteo 500 de Bombos Múltiples" (Lottery 500 with Multiple Drums) is held, which commemorates the 500th lottery carried out with this method, which began in 1962 and was initially known as the "modern system".


• 1979 - A Royal Decree reduces the expiry period for the right to collect prizes to 3 months, a rule that would take effect on 1 January 1980.


• 1983 - From this year onwards, the tickets are illustrated with monographic themes related to the "Discovery of America", as part of the preparation for the 5th Centennial.


• 1984 - Once the School of San Ildefonso became coeducational, several girls participated in the draw held in December, for the first time in the lottery's history.


• 1985 - Four special prizes for the décimo (tenth) are introduced in all the extraordinary, special and ordinary draws. The triple refund (triple reintegro) is also implemented for all of them. On Sunday 2 June, an extraordinary draw was held with the traditional method on the occasion of the 2nd European State Lotteries Conference, which was held in Marbella. Royal Decree 904/1985 of 11 June established the National Organisation of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE), which organises and manages the lotteries, bets and games that are the State's responsibility.


• 1986 - Starting in February, the number of series in all draws is increased: to 20 in the ordinary draws, 12 in the special draws and 10 in the extraordinary draws. On 7 June, the "Children of San Ildefonso Extraordinary Draw" was held with the traditional system of two drums in honor of the children of the School of San Ildefonso, as a demonstration of the fondness that, from draw to draw, these incomparable collaborators have been gaining throughout their already bi-centennial participation in the lottery's tasks.


• 1987 - The 175th anniversary of the Lotería Nacional is celebrated and on this occasion, an extraordinary draw is held on 7 March in the city of Cádiz, where our Lotería Nacional was born.


• 1988 - The Act of 25 May 1988 on tax benefits sets forth, in its Article 33, that during years 1988-1992 the Lotería Nacional will allocate the liquid profits of an annual draw to the financing of the Expo'92, the Olympic Games of Barcelona and the commemoration of the 5th Centennial, with the first of these draws being held on 15 October. The year 1988 was a year full of events related to the international scope of the Lotería Nacional, highlighting the following:
  
  - The holding of the First European Draw on 8 October at the Royal Theatre of Madrid. Together with the Lotería Nacional of Spain, the state lotteries of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey participated in this draw.
  
  - The First Ibero-American Lottery Conference took place in Madrid.
  
  - The Director of the National Organisation of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE) was appointed, in Melbourne, as President of the International State Lottery Association (AILE).


• 1989 - The 2nd extraordinary "European" Draw was held this year on 15 October in Lisbon.


• 1990 - On 21 April, a special draw dedicated to the "Day of the Book" was held as a tribute to culture and its most important vehicle: the book.  As regards its international scope, the following facts should be pointed out:
  
  - On 9 June, the Lotería Nacional held an extraordinary draw, carried out in the traditional method, as a tribute to the 18th International State Lotteries Conference held in Seville between 3 and 9 June.
  
  - On 13 October, the First Ibero-American Extraordinary Draw was held in the city of Queretaro (Mexico).
  
  - The 3rd European Extraordinary Draw was held on 20 October in Brussels (Belgium). In this draw, a common prize was given for the first time, which was financed by all the participants and totalled four million ecus. This special prize landed in Spain, as the winning ticket (fraction 3, series 4 of number 56,046) was sold in Madrid.


• 1991 - The 20th of April was the date of the first of two annual draws dedicated to Madrid, the 1992 European Capital of Culture, which was an opportunity for Madrid to opens its doors to the world and present its rich cultural and historical heritage.
  
  - On 15 June, the Lotería Nacional dedicated an extraordinary draw, carried out with the traditional method, as a tribute to the Children of San Ildefonso.
  
  - On 6 July, the Lotería Nacional began a new phase regarding the types of lotteries, implementing the "Zodiac Lottery". The most marked trait of its own structure lies in the characterisation of the different series as the twelve zodiac signs, instead of the traditional numerical order.
  
  - On 12 October, the 2nd Extraordinary Ibero-American Draw took place in the hall of the National Organisation of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE).
  
  - On 19 October, the 4th Extraordinary European Draw was held in Ankara (Turkey) and Spain won the special prize of four million eucos for the second time in a row. On this occasion, the lucky décimo (tenth) was number 99,825, fraction 9, series 4, sold in BARCELONA, with a total accumulated prize of 1,015 million, since the special décimo prize of 500 million was added to the special European prize of ecus.


• 1992 - For the Lotería Nacional, 1992 was a year full of events, and internationally an event of special significance took place: the holding on 9 May of the "1st Extraordinary Universal Draw", at the exhibition site of Expo´92 in Seville. This Draw marked a significant milestone in lottery history since, as it is described on the vignette of its décimos: "The State Lotteries of the World come together for the first time in their history to hold a Universal Draw", in which countries from four continents participated.
  
  - In October, the Extraordinary European Draw was held in Genoa (Italy), with the special prize of four million ecus being won this year in the host country.


• 1993 - In this year, the extraordinary "Sierra Nevada 1995" draw was held in Granada, announcing the next Winter Olympics, which will be held in those wonderful places.
  
  -On 23 October, the Extraordinary European Draw was held in Hilversum (Netherlands), with the special prize of four million ecus being won in Spain, as fraction 6 of series 10 of number 07,255 was sold in the town of Alcorcon in the province of Madrid, endowed with an accumulated prize of 1,073,472,000 pesetas.
  
  - On 6 November, the 3rd Extraordinary Ibero-American Draw was held in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina).
  
  - On 24 July, the prize structure and name of the Millionaire Zodiac draw was modified, keeping the same price, in line with the previous draws, at 250 pesetas per décimo (tenth) and continuing its big prize at 40 million pesetas, which is why its sales totalled 23,757 million.


• 1994 - This year, the additional twentieth and twenty-first provisions of the budgets for 1994 dated 30 December 1993 set forth that the National Organisation of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (ONLAE) will allocate the profits of the "Association against Cancer" and "Sierra Nevada 95" draws to the Spanish Association against Cancer and the Association Organising the 1995 Alpine Skiing World Championships at Sierra Nevada 95.
  
  - Two European prize draws were held this year. On 5 March, the 7th European Extraordinary Draw was held, with a special prize of 4,000,000 ecus. The town that was graced with 1,119,528,000 pesetas was Tordesillas, and the 8th European Extraordinary Prize draw was held on 8 October. On this occasion, the special prize went to Italy.
  
  For the first time and in gratitude and fair remuneration to those who have contributed and made it possible for the lottery to be recognised beyond our borders, the extraordinary "Media" draw was dedicated to the group of media and professionals that collaborate in the hope and joy brought by the lottery.


• 1995 - In the 1995 budgets dated 31 December 1994, the additional thirteenth, fourteenth and twenty-fifth provisions set forth that ONLAE will allocate the profits of the "Association against Cancer", "Sierra Nevada 95" and "Red Cross" draws to the Spanish Association against Cancer, the Association Organising the 1995 Alpine Skiing World Championships and the Red Cross.
  
  - This year, the 9th European Extraordinary Draw was held in Spain, the first prize of which was endowed with 900 million pesetas and went to number 90,931, sold in Madrid. The 4th Ibero-American Extraordinary Draw was also held this year in Viña del Mar (Chile) and Madrid. Argentina, Chile and Spain participated on this occasion.


• 1996 - A total of 103 draws were held for the Lotería Nacional during 1996. These draws included those dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.
  
  - The European Draw was held in Nicosia (Cyprus) and the European Special Prize was won in Italy.


• 1997 - Throughout 1997, the Lotería Nacional held 102 draws, four of which were dedicated to specific causes: those held for the Association Against Cancer, the Spanish Red Cross, Universiada Palma de Mallorca 1999 and the Association of Terrorism Victims.
  
  - The European Extraordinary Draw was held in Venice (Italy) and the European Special Prize was won in Belgium.


• 1998 - In 1998, 104 draws were held for Lotería Nacional, on both Thursdays and Saturdays. Specific draws were held for the Spanish Association Against Cancer, the Spanish Red Cross and the Universiada of Palma de Mallorca - 1999.
  
  The European Draw took place in Lisbon and the Special Prize of 2,500,000 e was won in Spain.
  
  The travel draws were in Barcelona, Salamanca, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Segorbe (Castellón), Toledo, Santiago de Compostela, Montejo de la Sierra (Madrid), Almonte (Huelva), Barbastro (Huesca), Jerez de la Frontera, Lucena (Córdoba) and Pontevedra.


• 1999 - In 1999, 102 draws were held for the Lotería Nacional. Specific draws were held for the Spanish Red Cross, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, Xacobeo-99 and the Athletics World Championship.
  
  The European Draw was held in Hilversum (Holland) with the participation of various European Lotteries, including Spain. The European Special Prize of 2,500,000 euros was won in Italy.


• 2000 - On 15 January 2000, Royal Decree 2069/1999 of 30 December entered into force, approving the Charter of the public entity Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. This Decree was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) No. 12, dated 14 January 2000.
  
  - A total of 102 draws were held for the Lotería Nacional. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross, Spanish Association Against Cancer, World Championship of the Equestrian Games and European Capital of Culture, Santiago de Compostela, in 2000.
  
  - The European Draw was held in Madrid, with the participation of various European Lotteries, including Spain. The European Special Prize of 2,500,000 Euros was won in Cyprus.


• 2001 - In 2001, 103 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross (Jaén and Madrid), Spanish Association Against Cancer (León) and the 6th European Youth Olympic Days (Murcia).
  
  - The European Draw was held in Nicosia (Cyprus) with the participation of various European Lotteries, including Spain. The European Special Prize of 2,000,000 euros was won in Portugal.


• 2002 - In 2002, 102 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross, Spanish Association Against Cancer and "Salamanca 2002, European City of Culture".
  
  -- The European Draw was held in Greece, with the participation of various European Lotteries, including Spain. The European Special Prize of 2,000,000 euros was won in Belgium.


• 2003 - In 2003, 103 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross, Spanish Association Against Cancer, Special "Solidarity" Draw and the "2003 Barcelona Swimming World Championships".
  
  - The European Draw was held in Jaén with the participation of various European Lotteries, including Spain. The European Special Prize of 2,000,000 euros was won in Roda de Ter (Segovia).


• 2004 - In 2004, 104 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross, Spanish Association Against Cancer, "Xacobeo 2004" and the "15th Mediterranean Games, Almería 2005".


• 2005 - In 2005, 102 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.


• 2006 - In 2006 ,102 Lotería Nacional draws were held. Specific draws were dedicated to the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.


• 2007 - In the Special "Red Cross" Draw, held in Valladolid on 10 March, the regular drums were replaced by smaller, more modern ones.



• 2012 - The National Lottery celebrates its Bicentennial, 200 years making dreams come true.

 

* Information taken from the LAE Newsletter.