Shaheen Mohammed has been buying Dubai Duty Free tickets since 2015, in the hope of finally hitting the jackpot.
Just before turning 39 on October 16, he secured an early birthday gift after being named a $1 million winner on Wednesday.
The Indian engineer, an Al Ain resident for six years, bought winning ticket 3097 on September 11.
A father of one, he works as a senior estimation engineer for a construction company in Mussaffah.
“This really gives people an opportunity to make their dreams come true and helps them achieve their goals,” he said. “This is an early birthday gift to me too.”
Mr Mohammed wishes to buy a house back home in Kerala and save the rest for his daughter's education.
He is the 285th Indian national to have won $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999.
The Dubai Duty Free draw is held every other Wednesday, so there are normally two draws a month. The number of Millennium Millionaire winners in each draw depends on ticket sales. There can be one, two or more.
Arya Mustafa, who lives in Iraq, won a BMW car with ticket number 1762 in the Finest Surprise Series 1963, which he purchased online on August 20.
Seeyali Shamsudheen, 65, an Indian living in Dubai, won an Aprilia Tuono motorbike with ticket number 0270 in the Finest Surprise Series 680.
The father of three works in a phone accessories shop in Karama.
