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.
Abu Dhabi Big Ticket winners describe life after the jackpot
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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
