Mahzooz, the UAE's Dh50 million weekly draw, is back and here's how to play it

The draw, previously Emirates Loto, was postponed in July for system upgrades

The Emirates Loto has relaunched as 'Mahooz'. Courtesy: Emirates Loto

After a four-month hiatus, the UAE's official loto will resume its weekly draws with a grand prize of Dh50 million under the new name, Mahzooz.

The draws will take place every Saturday and will be live streamed on its website at 9pm. The entry price for each game is still Dh35.

Those who match six numbers will share a cash prize of at least Dh50m, up Dh15m from the previous jackpot.

Winners who match five numbers will be able to claim a share of Dh1m, which might increase depending on how many players there are.

Those who match four numbers will earn a cash prize of Dh1,000, compared with Dh300 in previous rounds. And players who match three numbers will receive Dh35 or a free play.

The raffle, which held its inaugural draw on April 18, was postponed on July 18 just hours before its live evening draw.

Organisers said the decision was made to upgrade the customer experience.

As part of the new game, players will now be able to play for future draws rather than just the upcoming draw for that week.

They can register on mahzooz.ae and its smartphone application, Mahzooz, which will be available on iOS and Android soon.

A new e-wallet system has also been added to the digital platform where players can top up their account for future draws.

Teresa Starr, co chief executive of Ewings, operator of the lottery, said the new online platform provided a more seamless customer journey.

"Many people asked why we took a pause," she said. "There were a number of factors at play, from system design to technical and operational aspects.

"We got feedback from customers and asked what we could do differently to make the experience better and we came back strong."

As before, Mahzooz is open to anyone over the age of 18.

The draw was originally introduced to UAE audiences in April and 47,500 players shared cash prizes of more than Dh14.6m.

At the time of the postponement, no one had scooped the top prize, which had rolled over to Dh50m.

What does Mahzooz mean?

Mahzooz is Arabic for fortunate.

How to play Mahzooz

1. Create an account or log in to your existing account.

2. Click Play on the top menu and select Play Now.

3. Pick 6 numbers in line 1. You can play several lines at a time and buy tickets for future draws.

4. Add the ticket to your cart.

5. Click Add to Cart if you want to pay using your credit balance or click Checkout to pay using your card.

6. A confirmation will be sent to you via email or SMS.

7. You can watch the live draw on mahzooz.ae

8. Winners will get a message from Mahzooz and their winnings will be added to their winnings balance.