A car park attendant in Dubai who scooped Dh100,000 in the Mahzooz weekly prize draw has vowed to spend the money on his mother’s urgent eye operation.
Ahmed, a 54-year-old Indian worker, said the win was an answer to his prayers, and that he will also spend the cash on education fees and his home.
“My wife helps the less fortunate in India in whatever way she can with the money I send my family,” said Ahmed.
“This unexpected win in the month of Ramadan is proof that in life every good deed is rewarded.
“I will use this money to educate my kids, complete the construction of my house and pay for my mother’s eye operation.
"This prize money has made my Ramadan so much more special.”
Another winner who was given a Ramadan to remember thanks to the lucky dip was Abu Dhabi construction worker Mohammed, also from India.
With a new baby on the way, the Dh100,000 will go some way to supporting the expense of a new young family.
“I checked my emails after my evening prayers on Saturday and that’s when I found out I won,” said Mohammed.
“Ramadan is a month of giving and this is the best gift I’ve ever received.
“I have a new baby on the way, so this win couldn’t have come at a better time as it will help me secure my daughter and my baby’s future," he said.
"My relatives who have suffered financial setbacks due to the pandemic will also benefit from my win.
“Mahzooz has improved my life as well as the lives of many others through me.”
Another winner this week was Bilal, a 43-year-old Pakistani national, who had been job-hunting in Dubai for two months before landing his Dh100,000 win just a week before he was due to return to Pakistan.
“After I lost my job in Malaysia, I came to the UAE because I had heard this is the land of opportunities where anyone can make it big,” he said.
“Mahzooz has now changed the course of my life with this Dh100,000 – I won’t have to go back to my family in Pakistan empty-handed.”
Bilal said he would donate some of his winnings to charity and buy his own house.
The prize draw was the 72nd held by Mahzooz since its inception.
Participants are automatically entered into the Ramadan Mega Raffle Draw throughout the month whenever they purchase a bottle of water.
Expat winners continue to benefit from the cash windfalls.
Indian cook Rama, who works in kitchens in Dubai, scooped the Dh10 million ($2.7m) jackpot in the Mahzooz draw in March.
He became the first multimillionaire from the weekly draw.
Lottery winners tell of how jackpot changed their lives: in pictures
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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
