An Indian man in Kuwait who was desperately searching for a new job has won Dh1.2 million in Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket draw.
The Dh15m grand prize will be split equally between Ratheesh Reghunathan and 11 of colleagues, all who contributed towards buying the Dh500 ticket.
On Sunday, the father of four was declared the winner during the draw's live broadcast.
“I had been buying the ticket for five years to try my luck. This time, we bought with a group of people and we won this huge amount,” said Mr Reghunathan, 40, who has been earning Dh6,000 as a procurement officer in Kuwait since 2006.
“I still can’t believe it and it feeling like a big blessing on all of us. My plan is to move back to India with my family once the kids have completed this academic year.
“I will likely start a business with my share of the money and we will focus on the children’s education.”
Mr Reghunathan and half of his colleagues are set to lose their jobs due to cutbacks.
His last day of work is on April 13 and he had felt “clueless” about the future.
“We have all been looking for a new job, but it’s been very difficult because of the pandemic,” he said.
“Now, there is some hope for the future and we are all very excited about what’s to come.”
Mr Reghunathan’s wife and their two boys and two girls, aged one to eight, will also move back to India with him once the school year is over.
“My wife is very happy. She heard me talking on the phone when the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket organisers called to say that I’ve won and she could tell that there was good news,” he said.
The next draw is on April 8, with Dh12 million still up for grabs.
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UAE residents who struck lucky with Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw attended a gala dinner. Organisers of the draw celebrated the winners' good luck at the Alexandra Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina. All photos by Leslie Pableo / The National -
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 -
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 -
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 -
The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500
