A Sri Lankan man living in Dubai – who could not afford to bring his family to the city – has won Dh12 million ($3.27m) on Abu Dhabi's lottery draw.
Mohammed Mishfak said his Big Ticket win was life-changing as he collected the prize.
He will spend the money on sorting out financial problems and building a house in his homeland.
Mr Mishfak was glued to his phone as he knew that presenters Richard Isaac and Bouchra only ever call the big jackpot on the third of each month.
“I was excited and happy at the same time – when I heard that it’s Richard from Big Ticket calling me, [at] that time I knew I had won," he said.
"Because Richard only calls the winner of the jackpot on the third of every month.
“If you lose today, tomorrow your turn will come just like me today, so never give up.”
Mr Mishfak has a wife and two children back in Sri Lanka. He has only played the lottery for about a year and a half, splitting the cost with friends.
Apart from Mr Mishfak, there were two more new millionaires, both of them Indians. Aabu Mamman Babu won Dh3 million and Anuj Thygarajan Dh1 million.
Katubbhai Rajanpurwala won the 'Dream Car', a Porsche 718, worth up to Dh350,000.
Meet prize UAE lottery winners whose lives changed
