Iconic Board Game “Loteria” Comes to Life as a TV Show

If you grew up in a Latin household, chances are that you have played Loteria at some point with your family and friends. This was true for Alberto Belli and Juan Pablo Reyes who, ten years ago, came up with the idea to bring the board game to life in a fun action/adventure show. That dream has finally come true thanks to the legendary Norman Lear and Brent Miller.

The hour long drama Loteria follows two estranged teen siblings who set off on an adventure across Mexico to collect 16 magical Lotería cards, unearthing the power of their history and culture in the hopes of reuniting their family.

Norman Lear and Brent Miller will executive produce the show with creators Alberto Belli and Juan Pablo Reyes and Felipe Vargas as writer.

“It’s a dream come true to be working with the legendary Norman Lear. ‘The Princess Bride’ defined our childhood and we couldn’t have found a better partner in Brent Miller and Sony to support our fantasy to bring a series that is a love letter to Mexico and its rich culture. We are excited to share a side of Mexico that hasn’t ever been seen on screen before.” said Belli and Reyes.

 The board game Loteria originated in the 15th century in Italy, and was brought to Mexico where it blended with Aztec Culture. It’s been nicknamed Mexican Bingo, where the numbers are replaced by illustrated objects and characters. After hundreds of years, Loteria is still one of the most popular games in Latin America and within the Latinx communities in the US. And it’s very much in the global zeitgeist with recent reimagined versions like the Millennial Loteria and the Google Doodle version.

Belli, who was a director on the Netflix hit show, “La Casa de las Flores,” recently wrapped his feature debut for Warner Media and launched the first-ever Latinx Directors Database. Reyes has a career as a creative producer. Vargas’ award winning short film “Milk Teeth” won the Imagen Awards and the DGA Student Film Awards.