Costa Rica’s Christmas Lottery on sale this week

The Social Protection Council of San José (JPS) announced Tuesday that Christmas Lottery tickets, known as “El Gordo Navideño,” are now on sale in all of Costa Rica.

This year’s highest prize is ₡1.2 billion ($2.4 million). Winning tickets will be drawn on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. A total of 128 prizes in different amounts will be awarded.

The JPS will sell 500,000 full sets of tickets for ₡60,000 ($120) each set. A full set consists of 40 individual tickets, which can be purchased for ₡1,500 ($3) each.

Tickets are on sale at 2,000 locations across the country, including retail stores and street vendor stands.

JPS officials also noted that overcharging for tickets is illegal. The agency has revoked 57 permits this year due to vendor overcharging.

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