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The history of the first lottery draw in Spain dates back to December 10, 1763. It had come from the hand of Charles III, who, after his Italian journey, believed that it was something interesting to implement in Spain.
Its birth in several cities, especially in the northern part of the transalpine territory, was advised by the advisors of the leaders of the time, who were faced with serious public order problems due to the difficulties in obtaining financing to cover municipal expenses. .
With the birth of the lottery that occurred in several Italian cities, money began to be collected from the people without it being considered a tax. With this, problems were avoided and a continued atypical collection was achieved without citizen protests.
During his mandate in Naples between 1734 and 1759, Charles III learned about the lottery that had existed there since 1682 and wanted to implement that model in Spain. It was a way to be able to increase taxes without fear of being accused of being a monarch with a tax-collecting instinct.
Therefore, when he returned in 1759 to become the new king after the death of his brother Fernando VI, Charles III established the Royal Lottery. The objective was to allocate the profits it brought to pay for hospices, hospitals, charitable and social works (which took up a large part of the public treasury) and a part of the Royal Treasury.
The first draw that was held took place in the Plaza de San Idelfonso in Madrid, on December 10, 1763. Its procedure was more similar to the current Primitive Lottery. It was only celebrated in Madrid and with a series of numbers up to 90.
The bettor handed over the ballot with the chosen numbers and on the day of the draw a blindfolded child took out five balls and called out the winning numbers.
The current name of Lotería Primitiva comes as a reminder of the principles of the creation of the Lottery.
The War of Independence paralyzed the lottery and people stopped talking about it. After the war, the government verified that the public coffers had been left in a ruinous state and that the citizens were not able to bear new taxes.
The solution to the problem this time came through Ciriaco González Carvajal, a Sevillian jurist and politician, who once again thought that the solution could be in the idea contributed by Carlos III, the Lotto. But this time in a way that was controlled by the government itself through the Public Treasury Agency.
The Lottery, as we know it today, was created as a means of increasing State income without having to increase citizens' taxes directly and without taxpayers being forced to pay them.
It was officially established in Cádiz on November 25, 1811, although the first official draw was not held until March 4, 1812 in the city of Cádiz itself. Later, due to the withdrawal of Napoleonic forces, it crossed the Strait to Ceuta and also continued its progression to the entire Andalusian region.
The Lottery was not stabilized in Spain until the French expulsion and the return to power of Ferdinand VII. February 28, 1814 was the date on which the first draw was held in Madrid, becoming the Modern Lottery from then on.
Then came the Constitutional Triennium, between 1820 and 1823 (it began on January 1, 1820 with the Riego pronouncement that forced the absolute king Fernando VII to reestablish the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812 on March 9). And it becomes the National Lottery again.
With the return of absolutism (the mania of politicians to change names they don't like when they come to power), it is once again called the Modern Lottery. Upon the death of Fernando VII it was once again considered the National Lottery.
The Extraordinary Christmas Draw has been held uninterruptedly since 1812, so it is now another tradition in our country and is the starting signal for the Christmas holidays, with a history of more than 200 years.
It has survived political changes and, although it has undergone different modifications to adapt it to the times, it has even survived the Civil War, when each side had its own National Lottery.
On the national side, the draw was held in the city of Burgos. On the Republican side, in the city of Barcelona. At Christmas 1936 it was held at the Café-Restaurant-Brewery Au Lyon d'Or, in the Plaza del Teatro 2, located next to the old Teatro Cine Principal, later the disappeared Cabaret Panam's.
