Why is Lotto Betting so Popular at Christmas?

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Note: *The following article is purely for fun. It is based on individual opinions and does not constitute advice. The drawing of lottery numbers is entirely random. Please always gamble responsibly. #Ad. Find out more on our How Our Site Works page.

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Did you know that Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the lottery industry - including the Irish and 49's Lotto?

But why is this? In the below article, we’ll explore exactly why so many people are betting on lottery during the festive period.

Big Winners!

Is there a better time to win big than at Christmas? I guess you’d have to ask Tony McIlvenny from Hyde, who managed to scoop £150,000 when betting on the 49's Lotto at Betfred in the weeks heading into Christmas this year.

Quite understandably, he now plans to trade in his van for a car, renovate his house in time for Christmas and go on an impromptu holiday to Spain for some winter sun.

Tony won his massive prize after placing a £15 wager on the 49’s lottery and successfully predicting four of the six numbers drawn. It looks set to be quite the Christmas in the McIllvenny household.

Lotto Gifts

And with Tony in mind, many people are gifting friends, co-workers and family with lottery bets, with the hope of scoring their loved one a massive prize.

There’s been a rising trend in recent years in the number of "lottery gifts" given - although there are no statistics available on how many of the generous givers would expect a share of the prize!

Lottery gifts are nothing new, especially in Spain, which this year has an absolutely enormous...£2.1 BILLION Christmas Lottery. You read that right. The Spanish Lottery has a £2.1 BILLION prizepool.

What’s more El Gordo (which appropriately translates to "the Fat One" in English), also has ridiculous short jackpot odds of just 1:100,000.

The reason the odds are so good is because the El Gordo sees a single five-digit number drawn (i.e. 00000 to 99999), with shares sold on each ticket. This can produce some very interesting results.

Indeed, you may have heard the surreal story of 1,650 tickets winning the jackpot prize in the modest Madrid suburb of Acacias last year. It meant that almost the entire district won a €400,000 prize EACH.

People outside of Spain can also now bet on the El Gordo thanks to lottery betting services such as Lottoland, who match the ruleset and prizes offered on the "official" draw.

Join Lottoland now and bet on El Gordo from just £4.99.

Christmas Lottery Draws Galore

As the festivities get underway and the New Year looms, many people like to try their luck on lottery during the Christmas period – especially by betting on the 49’s and the Irish Lotto as they offer some of the best jackpot odds of any lottery around.

Want to get your bets on for Christmas? See the schedule below for this year’s biggest Christmas lottery draws.

Christmas Lotto Schedule (For Irish, 49's and El Gordo lotteries)

• Saturday 22nd December – 08:00 (GMT) - Spanish Christmas El Gordo
• Saturday 22nd December - 19:55 (GMT) – Irish Lotto
• Wednesday 26th December – 19:55 (GMT) – Irish Lotto
• Saturday 29nd December - 19:55 (GMT) – Irish Lotto
• Twice Daily (Except Christmas Day) – 49's Lotto

Christmas Offers

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without presents, these bookmakers have got a couple of great offers to get you started betting on the lottery: