Lotería Nacional

Lonely Planet review

Mexico's lottery is a national passion, and the tall art deco tower on the west side of Paseo de la Reforma opposite Av Juárez is the game's headquarters. Walk into the building and up the stairs almost any Sunday, Tuesday or Friday after 19:30 , take a seat in the cozy auditorium, and at exactly 20:00 the sorteo (the ceremony of picking the winning numbers) begins. Cylindrical cages spew out numbered wooden balls, which are plucked out by uniformed pages who announce the winning numbers and amounts.

The tall art deco tower on the west side of Paseo de la Reforma opposite Avenida Juárez is the headquarters of a Mexican passion: the Lotería Nacional (National Lottery). Each ticket purchased is for a particular draw ( sorteo ) on a specific date, with prize money ranging from nice to woah. All sorts of calculations, hunches and superstitions are often called upon to decide which numbers may be lucky. Regular zodiaco draws, in which each ticket bears a sign of the zodiac as well as a number, adds more spice to the procedures. Take a seat in the cozy auditorium upstairs, and at exactly the ceremony begins. Cylindrical cages spew out numbered wooden balls, which are plucked out by uniformed pages who announce the winning numbers and their respective monetary winnings. You can buy a ticket of your very own at a street vendor or kiosk, and start dreaming of an early retirement in Mexico, a lifelong trip around the world, or at the very least, a lifetime supply of Bohemian lager.