A Turkish expat's first purchase of a Big Ticket has turned him into a millionaire overnight.
Sam Heidaritorshizi, who moved to Dubai four years ago, was announced as Grand Prize winner, landing Dh15 million ($4.08 million) in the Series 249 raffle draw held in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Mr Heidaritorshizi, a managing director of a pharmaceutical company in Dubai, bought his winning ticket online during the buy-two-get-one-free promotion early last month.
He said he never expected to hit the jackpot despite regularly checking the Big Ticket website over the past week hoping to see his name.
When representatives tried to contact Mr Heidaritorshizi about his big win, his phone was engaged as he was flooded with congratulatory calls from his friends and family.
Second-prize winner, Emirati citizen Salim Albastaki, walked away with Dh1 million.
Mr Albastaki has been buying a raffle ticket for the past 15 years and is grateful for his first win. He said he would continue to purchase Big Tickets hoping to take home the grand prize someday.
The Big Ticket was established in 1992 with an initial first prize of Dh1 million, and is one of the most popular monthly raffles in the UAE. The next winner will be announced in April.
Abu Dhabi Big Ticket winners: 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
