Five expats residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman have become winners in the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw, receiving a total cash prize of 1.95 million dirhams as part of the 291st contest series.
These fortunate residents received their prize money as consolation awards. Despite winning different amounts, all participants expressed a desire to continue participating in the contest and try their luck again.
The main part of the prize fund that evening was a substantial sum of 1 million dirhams, won by Indian expat Sunil Kumar, who held ticket number 098059.
Kulwant Singh, a 53-year-old truck driver from Punjab, also received 500,000 dirhams. He has lived in Jebel Ali, Dubai, with his family since 2008. After watching the Big Ticket video online for many years, Kulwant decided to try his luck about two years ago. Since then, buying tickets has become a monthly ritual for him and his group of five friends, and finally, they were lucky.
The group decided to choose their Big Ticket ticket this time, which turned out to be fortunate, and did so completely randomly. He shared his joy: 'I was very happy when I found out we won. We buy tickets together every month, so it was a wonderful feeling to finally receive good news.'
Speaking about the distribution of the money, he noted that it will be divided among the group, and Kulwant is already thinking about his family when spending his share. He stated: 'I want to use the money for my family and our home.'
Indian expat Ajit Kumar Vannarat participated in the draw for almost ten years before winning. The 54-year-old document controller from Kerala, who has been living in Oman for the last 10 years, won 250,000 dirhams. He learned about Big Ticket through friends and advertisements, regularly buying tickets with a group of 10 people.
Like Kulwant and his friends, Ajit left the ticket selection entirely to chance, choosing the number randomly. He said: 'We tried to try our luck together for a long time, so receiving this news was a wonderful feeling.' The cash prize will be divided among the group.
Two other Indians won 100,000 dirhams each as consolation prizes. One of them is Satwan Kumar Chauhan, who received the cash prize with ticket number 320975. The other is Mohammed Ejaz, a 30-year-old engineer from Kerala.
Mohammed has lived in Ajman with his family for the last seven years. He first discovered Big Ticket through Instagram and YouTube, and then decided to try his luck about six months ago. Since then, he has been participating with a group of 10 people.
For his winning ticket, Mohammed chose a number that was particularly dear to his heart, using a combination of his son's date of birth and year of birth. What started as a thoughtful choice soon turned into an unforgettable moment when he received the winning call.
He noted: 'It was one of the most special moments for me. I chose the number based on my son's birthday, so finding out we won made it even more significant.' As for his own share, he already knows what it will go towards. 'I want to spend it on my son.'