An overjoyed Abu Dhabi resident who will share the Dh30 million ($8.1 million) UAE Lottery jackpot has pledged to use his new-found fortune to fulfil his “biggest dream” of helping his daughter become a doctor.
Sunil Kumar Sadasivian, a maintenance technician from Kerala, India, had his family to thank for his remarkable windfall after picking out numbers tied to the dates of his and his family's birthday.
Mr Sadasivian, 52, said he was in “complete shock” after discovering he had scooped the grand prize but has now set his sights set on changing lives with his winnings.
“I thought, 'why not use the dates that matter most to me?' I started with my daughter's birthday, then added mine, then my wife's birthday,” he said of his formula for success.
Mr Sadasivian will split the windfall with a friend whom he bought a ticket with for the draw on Wednesday, July 1.
The duo have proven to be a winning combination, with their success coming only one week after they picked up a Dh100 lottery prize together.
From disbelief to delight
The proud father discovered his remarkable lottery win while unwinding in his room after completing his shift at work.
“I checked my phone around 9.45pm, after the draw. I had only expected a small prize. When I saw the winning numbers, I was in complete shock.”
He rushed to show the winning ticket to a friend, struggling to believe he had just become the country's latest lottery millionaire.
Once the big win had sunk in, he phoned his wife to inform her of the good news, with thoughts soon turning to how they could help others.
“My wife has no big desires – her wish has always been to live an ordinary life. When we won this amount, she asked, 'What will we do?'
“We come from an ordinary family, so we believe we should do whatever we can for other people,” he said.
Supporting beloved daughter
He shared an emotional message for his seven-year-old daughter, with his first act being to buy her a gift to mark the family's big win.
He told of how her birth had brought joy to him and his wife – after they had tried for more than a decade to become parents, investing heavily in costly treatments along the way.
“If my daughter is watching this, I want her to know that her father and mother have lived and waited for her,” he said. “My biggest dream is to educate my daughter and see her become a doctor one day. Once I get the money, first I'll go and buy a gift for my daughter.”
Spreading the wealth
Mr Sadasivian now plans to complete the construction of his family home before enjoying a well-earned break. “I've worked since I was young,” he said. “Now, I'll take some rest.”
He will then turn his attention to building a brighter future for others close to him.
“There are a few people I know who don't have homes and I would like to build houses for them.”
Mr Sadasivian is the third player to win the UAE Lottery since its launch in December 2024, with all the lucky ticket holders living in the capital.
Anilkumar Bolla was crowned the UAE's sole Dh100 million lottery winner in October 2025, while Nepalese security guard Tayab Khan and five friends shared the Dh30 million windfall on Wednesday, May 27.
