South African in Dubai says patience paid off after winning Dh77,000 in Emirates Draw

Avela Mbokodi plans to use the money to make a down payment on villa

Emirates Draw is held weekly and one lucky person could win Dh100 million. Photo: Emirates Draw

A South African Dubai resident who persuaded his wife to let him try his luck at the Emirates Draw bagged more than Dh77,000 ($20,960) in the weekly raffle.

Avela Mbokodi, 40, said his patience finally paid off when he won second prize — after taking part in the draw for nine months.

When the father-of-one found out he had won Dh77,777, he said he raced to his wife’s work to tell her the good news.

My wife is a practical woman who doesn’t really believe in raffle draws. But she shared my joy when I showed her the confirmation email

Avela Mbokodi,
Dubai resident

“Each month I buy two sets of tickets. For the first ticket, I select two numbers, my wife the next two sets, and my nine-year-old son the final set.

“The second ticket is one I randomly [pick]. I couldn’t believe my luck when I finally won.

“My wife is a practical woman who doesn’t really believe in raffle draws. But she shared my joy when I showed her the confirmation email and she reminded me that I had always said I would win one day, and now I have.”

The couple, who have lived in Dubai for 14 years, said they plan to put the winnings towards a down payment on a villa in the community where they live.

Avela Mbokodi, 40, says his patience finally paid off this week after buying tickets for nine months.

Despite scooping the second prize, Mr Mbokodi still has hopes of winning the jackpot and said he even purchased another ticket in excitement on the night he won.

“I hope that I’ll win again and if I’m lucky enough to win the Grand Prize one thing I’d love to do, after getting our dream home, is open a family-friendly restaurant in Dubai that has something for everyone,” he said.

Khawer Saaed, 29 from Pakistan, also won Dh77,777 in the draw and said he plans to use his winnings to donate to charity and treat his family.

“I was very happy when I found out that I won after checking my account — especially since I won Dh77 a month ago,” he said.

“I’m going to visit my family in the next two or three months and I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”

More than Dh25 million has been handed out in prize money to about 18,000 winners since the draw went live in September last year.

The grand prize of Dh100 million has still not been won. An individual or group of people need to match all seven numbers to win.

Abu Dhabi Big Ticket winners describe life after the jackpot: 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

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  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

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  '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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  The Abu Dhabi Big Draw has been changing lives since 1992

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  The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500