In the second weekly Big Ticket draw for August, four participants from India received 25,000 dirhams each, totaling 100,000 dirhams.
The winners demonstrated varied experiences of participation: from first-time winners to long-time participants who have been trying their luck for years.
Muhammed Zahir
For an expatriate from India, Muhammed Zahir unexpectedly won when his ticket with number 290-094275 was selected in the draw. He was very happy to learn about the victory, receiving 25,000 dirhams.
Sajid Khan
The victory of 56-year-old businessman Sajid Khan is the result of nearly three decades living in the UAE and playing Big Ticket for many years. Originally from Pune, India, Khan has lived in the UAE for about 33 years. He started participating in Big Ticket several years ago, usually buying tickets individually.
His first win came by chance, but the news was still a surprise because Khan initially thought that Big Ticket only held monthly draws, and he was pleasantly surprised to learn about the weekly draw.
The prize of 25,000 dirhams already gave him an idea of how he plans to spend the money—to take his children on vacation. Despite years of participation, Khan intends to continue participating in future draws, advising others: 'Be in the game to win.'
Thomas Geevarghese
The win of 64-year-old civil engineer Thomas Geevarghese resulted from years of participation and buying a ticket with his group. Geevarghese, originally from Kerala, India, has lived in the UAE for the last 20 years. He first heard about Big Ticket through friends and has been participating monthly since then, sometimes buying tickets individually, and sometimes joining a group of four people.
This time, the winning ticket was purchased jointly with his group. When Richard from Big Ticket called him with the news, Geevarghese initially didn't believe it. He watched the Big Ticket live broadcast himself and saw the result before realizing he had won.
This randomly selected ticket became his first win in Big Ticket after several months of participation. Since his family is in India, Geevarghese plans to postpone his share of the prize. He also intends to continue participating in future draws. Describing Big Ticket as 'very useful for the public,' he expressed hope that his win would motivate others to participate, adding: 'It is so useful for everyone, and I hope it will help you, just as it helped me.'
Manikantan Mohanan Maniyan Mohanan
The victory of 39-year-old nurse Manikantan Mohanan Maniyan Mohanan happened sooner than expected. Originally from Kerala, India, Manikantan bought his last ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport store, having only one previous experience of participation. He participated individually and chose the ticket number randomly, not expecting his second purchase to bring the first win.
The call notifying him of the win left Manikantan 'very happy' and pleasantly surprised. Since he recently started participating in Big Ticket, he noted that this unexpected win encouraged him to continue participating. He has not yet decided how he will use the winnings but is considering saving them.
The latest winners add to the growing list of Big Ticket participants who have won in the weekly draws as the August promotion comes to an end. The grand prize for the month will be announced during the live draw on September 3rd, when one lucky person will receive 15 million dirhams. Five other winners will receive 100,000 dirhams during the same draw.