A mother of two who was inspired to enter Emirates Draw after reading about its marine conservation work in a Spanish newspaper has won Dh77,777.
Asuncion Lopez, who has lived in the UAE for eight years, said she was shocked when she received an email saying she was one of seven people to win the weekly draw's raffle round.
A keen scuba diver who regularly visits Fujairah with her husband and two boys, aged 11 and 12, Ms Lopez said she decided to enter the draw after reading about its recently launched coral reef restoration programme.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the email,” she said.
“I rushed to show my husband but he didn’t believe that I had won. I think once I receive my winnings, he’ll change his mind.
“My entire family is very passionate about diving and when I first read about Emirates Draw, I really wanted to support their efforts because I want to do my part to preserve the marine environment for my sons and all future generations.”
The recently launched programme aims to restore marine life by replanting coral in the UAE and surrounding coastlines.
After struggling financially through the pandemic, Ms Lopez said she plans to use some of her winnings towards a diving excursion with her family but will put the rest into savings.
Raheem P K, 31, an Indian resident based in Abu Dhabi, also won Dh77,777 in the latest draw.
He said he was in disbelief when he received the call congratulating him on the win.
“It’s the first time I have won anything even though I’ve participated several times,” he said.
“I can’t wait to pay off my loans and support my family.”
The father of two works as a sales executive in the capital.
To date, Emirates Draw has distributed more than Dh29 million in prize money to more than 21,000 participants.
Emirates Draws are held every Sunday and live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook, with seven lucky participants each winning Dh77,777.
The Dh100 Million Grand Prize, the largest in the region, remains up for grabs to be claimed by a single person or group of people who match all seven numbers from right to left.
People can participate in the weekly draw by buying a Dh50 pencil that will support the planting of corals. After registering online, participants can select their seven-digit number or have the system choose a number randomly.
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 -
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
