A Bangladeshi civil engineer who won Dh77,777 ($21,180) in the weekly Emirates Draw has said he will use the money to pay for his children's education, settle outstanding debts and buy a pet parrot.
Ajman resident Muhammed Nasir Uddin, 41, also plans to give some money to charity.
He said he had forgotten he entered the draw until he was out with friends.
“I didn’t even realise that I had won until after the draw show ended because I got distracted chatting with friends at the coffee shop I usually visit after evening prayers," he said.
"Suddenly, I remembered mid-conversation that I bought a Dh50 pencil for the week’s draw, so I decided to watch the replay and couldn’t believe that it was my name on the screen.
“I double-checked my ticket number, and sure enough, I had won Dh77,777.
"I called my wife to tell her the good news, but it wasn’t until I showed her proof that it sunk in that it was true.
"We then told our children, who immediately reminded me I had promised to bring them a blue parrot whenever I won.”
He said his success would encourage him to continue to buy tickets for the draw.
"I’m looking forward to hopefully winning again in the future," he said.
"I’ve already bought several Dh50 pencils and told my neighbours and friends that I had won to encourage them, which motivated them to participate in the next draw.”
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.
To date, Emirates Draw has distributed more than Dh32 million in prize money to more than 23,000 participants.
The draws are held every Sunday and live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook, with seven lucky participants each winning Dh77,777.
The Dh100m grand prize, the largest in the region, can be claimed by an individual person or group who match all seven numbers from right to left.
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