An Indian resident won Dh77,777 for the second time in three weeks after entering the Emirates Draw.
Manoj Madhusoodhanan, 55, who lives in Dubai, won his first cash prize last month and could not believe his luck when he received a call from his friend this week saying he had bagged the prize for a second time.
The father of two said patience and persistence pays off in a big way and he plans to keep entering the draw in the hope of winning the grand prize of Dh100 million.
“After I confirmed that I had won, I just started jumping around like a small child because I didn’t expect to win again so soon,” he said.
Emirates Draw winner
The workshop superintendent has been entering the Emirates Draw since September and started out by buying two Dh50 entry tickets each week, then upped it to three a week, which is when his luck changed.
“I’m going to use my prize money to continue supporting people in need and charities back home,” he said.
“I’m more motivated now to keep participating and who knows, I might win again.”
Joining Mr Madhusoodhanan with a win this week was Nasr Al Abri. He was relaxing at home when he decided to randomly check his emails and saw that he was among the latest batch of people to win the Dh77,777 raffle draw.
“I was watching television when I decided to just casually check my email because I knew that the draw had just ended,” he said.
“When I saw the message from Emirates Draw, I was so excited that I sat up suddenly, which startled my wife.
“Just as I was about to tell her the great news, a friend called, and I was trying to end our conversation as quickly as possible.
“After we were done, I checked my email again, then the Emirates Draw website, and finally went on Instagram just to be sure.”
The Omani citizen, who lives in Abu Dhabi, shared the news with his nine-year-old daughter who had helped select the raffle numbers.
The 46-year-old plans to use his winnings for charity as well as to help finance a passion project.
Australian expatriate Amir Abbas, 46, was another of the seven winners to bag the raffle prize in the latest draw.
Mr Abbas, who works in construction, said he entered the Emirates Draw after reading a winner’s story in the newspaper.
“I can’t believe I won after trying just a few times,” he said.
“It’s amazing how much the weekly draw helps people and gives us a great start to our week.”
Mr Abbas plans to enjoy his good fortune by donating an amount to charity and on a well-deserved holiday, as well as share whatever amount remains with his friends.
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, is still up for grabs to be claimed by a single person or group of people who match all seven numbers.
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: lottery winners tell 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
