A Bangladeshi man in Abu Dhabi who lost his job during the pandemic has scooped Dh142,857 in a Dubai lottery.
Foqruzzaman Khan, 40, said the past few years have been “very unlucky” for him, because he was injured in a motorbike accident in 2019 and then lost his job as an office clerk during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But his fortunes changed when he found that he was one of seven winners who shared the Dh1 million second prize for picking out five of the six numbers in Saturday's Mahzooz draw.
“Now my luck is turning around. I can open my own business and support my family back home. It’s like a miracle. I still can’t believe I’ve won,” he said.
“After I lost my job it was very difficult. I was borrowing from friends just to buy food and pay rent. I did a few part-time jobs to earn what I can, but it wasn’t enough.
“And I’m still recovering from the accident. A car hit my motorbike two years ago and I broke both my shoulders and lost some of my teeth.”
Mr Khan said he would use part the funds to complete the construction of his house in his home country.
He also plans to put some towards his son’s education, who lives back home with his mother.
“After a very bad two years, now I can finally feel happy again,” Mr Khan said.
Nazar Hussain, a Pakistani businessman in Abu Dhabi, was another winner of the draw.
The 35-year-old said he wants to expand his construction business with the winnings and bring some of his relatives to the Emirates.
“The money has come at a really good time for me. I plan to invest some into my business and help my brother visit me,” he said.
“I never thought I’d win, so this feels like a dream. It might not be a big amount for some people, but it’ll really help me.”
Jovannie, 32, a Filipino logistics co-ordinator in Dubai, hopes to build a house in his home country with his share of the prize.
He entered the draw at the last minute and selected his numbers at random.
"I remembered about the weekly live draw at the last minute, so I immediately logged into my Mahzooz account and chose my numbers randomly. The next day I received a call from the Mahzooz team telling me that I had won Dh142,857. I cried tears of joy,” he said.
“Building my own home in my country is almost impossible with my current salary. Thankfully, with this prize money, my mother and I can have our own home soon.”
To play, participants must register online and buy a Dh35 bottle of water to enter.
The bottles of water are donated to charity.
How Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket has changed lives - in pictures
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UAE residents who struck luck with Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw attended a gala dinner on Tuesday. Organisers of the draw celebrated the winners' good luck at the Alexandra Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina. All photos by Leslie Pableo / The National -
The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500 -
Shahed Ahmed Moulvifaiz, a Bangladeshi car garage owner in Al Ain, won Dh10 million less than a week ago. He wants to bring his family to the UAE, expand his business and spend on his youngest son's education -
Richard Isaac and Bouchra Yamani, the two presenters who pick out the raffle tickets and call the winners, interacted with the winners. Some of attendees had won jackpots of between Dh1 million to Dh15 million, while others won Dh90,000 -
'The National' spoke to winners about how they have spent their grand prize. Shivamurthy Gali Krishnappa won Dh12 million last month. He said he wants to save for his children's future. For now, he is still working as a mechanical engineer for a stainless steel production company -
Jayaprakash Mariyan Philip had won the Dh1 million prize with nine other people. The funds were split equally, leaving him with Dh100,000. He said he has paid off part of his bank loans -
Zaheenn Kausar was visiting her husband in Abu Dhabi from Pakistan, when he bought a ticket under her name. She proved lucky for her family after winning Dh90,000. She wants to pay for her daughter's university tuition and buy a car for herself -
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 5,000 people would gather during a live event in Abu Dhabi to watch the draw take place. Since 2020, the draw streams live on social media channels, bringing in even larger crowds -
Many people buy multiple tickets together and then split the prize equally. There are also those who win after buying a ticket alone, allowing them to keep the entire jackpot -
The Abu Dhabi Big Draw has been changing lives since 1992
