The UAE Lottery has cut its Dh100 million jackpot to Dh30 million and will now hold the flagship Lucky Day draw weekly in a major overhaul.
Organisers have also increased the Dh1 million second prize to Dh5 million and will guarantee three people walk away with Dh100,000 each week as part of the revamp announced on Saturday.
The national lottery draw has been staged fortnightly since its high-profile launch on December 14. The format of the draw is to be unchanged and ticket prices will remain Dh50.
The lottery operator had announced last week that Saturday's Lucky Day game would be the last to provide a Dh100 million top prize.
As nobody secured the jackpot on Saturday, Abu Dhabi resident Anilkumar Bolla is poised to etch his name in the record books as the only Dh100 million winner.
The IT worker, from the southern Indian state of Telangana, had told The National of his plans to invest in his own and his family's future and vowed to use his good fortune to help people in need.
While he aims to spend his windfall wisely, Mr Bolla said he would splash some cash on a sports car and a luxury holiday.
“I have a dream to buy a supercar and, for sure, I want to fulfil my dream first. I also want to celebrate this moment in a great resort or 7-star hotel and just enjoy this vibe for some time.”
How do you play the Dh30m game?
The Lucky Day lottery draw follows a calendar format, with players asked to select six numbers from a possible 31 from a “day” section of the online draw card and one number from 12 in the “month” section. Players must register on the official website to participate. There are 43 numbers to pick from.
