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
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UAE residents who struck luck with Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw attended a gala dinner on Tuesday. Organisers of the draw celebrated the winners' good luck at the Alexandra Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina. All photos by Leslie Pableo / The National -
The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500 -
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 -
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 -
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
