Vibeesh, a driver with 20 years of experience across the UAE, now plans to settle in India with his Big Ticket winnings.
A Sharjah-based pickup driver, who has been buying Big Ticket tickets for the past 15 years, has won a Dh15 million jackpot. For Vibeesh Palliyali, luck came courtesy of a last-minute ticket he bought for a relative.
“I had already purchased a set of tickets for Dh1,000 on 7 February while traveling to India,” he told. “On 28 February, my cousin and two friends asked me to get a ticket with them. I tried explaining that I had already spent my budget for the month, but they insisted. I bought the ticket online at 8 p.m.—and that was the lucky one.”
Having worked as a pickup driver for a transport company for two decades, Vibeesh has traveled to some of the remotest corners of the UAE. On Wednesday evening, while returning from Abu Dhabi to his home in Sharjah after a delivery, he received the life-changing call from Big Ticket.
Sharjah driver wins Dh15 million Big Ticket jackpot after 15 years of monthly buys
Vibeesh Palliyali, a Sharjah-based pickup driver, has hit the Dh15 million Big Ticket jackpot after buying tickets consistently for the past 15 years. The life-changing win came from a last-minute ticket he purchased for a relative.
“I had already bought a set of tickets for Dh1,000 on 7 February while traveling to India,” he told Khaleej Times. “On 28 February, my cousin and two friends asked me to get a ticket with them. I tried explaining that I had already spent my budget for the month, but they insisted. I bought the ticket online at 8 p.m.—and that was the lucky one.”
Having worked as a pickup driver for two decades, Vibeesh has traveled to the remotest corners of the UAE. On Wednesday evening, while returning from Abu Dhabi to his home in Sharjah after a delivery, he received the call from Big Ticket confirming his win.
“Since I am a regular customer, I usually get calls from the company,” he said. “But they usually call in the middle or end of the month about offers. I wondered why they would call me at the beginning of the month in the evening.”
When informed of his win, Vibeesh was initially speechless. “I even asked if it was a prank call, even though I knew it wasn’t,” he said. “Afterwards, I called my wife. She checked online immediately and confirmed that my name was listed as the winner.”
15 years of dedication
Vibeesh, who lives in Sharjah with his wife Resna and daughter Vandana, has been buying Big Ticket monthly for 15 years. “As a driver, setting aside Dh1,000 per month was a challenge. Many times, my wife would complain that the money could be used for other things. Some months, I wouldn’t even tell her I had bought the ticket,” he said.
Despite his long commitment, he never watched the draws live or checked the website immediately. “Buying a ticket was just a way of life for me. I never really imagined winning. My only wish was that one day I could win something—even if it was a prize of Dh100,000.”
A dream come true
Sharing the jackpot with three others, Vibeesh will receive just under Dh4 million. While he is still deciding how to spend it, he plans to return to India and settle down. “I’ve been driving all over the UAE for 20 years. Now, I want to go back to India, and this money will definitely help with that,” he said.
He also wants to secure his daughter’s future, who is currently pursuing a BBA in Bangalore. “She did her schooling here at Sharjah Indian School, and I want to make sure her future is taken care of,” he said.
Even after the confirmation, the win still feels surreal to Vibeesh. “It’s only just beginning to sink in,” he admitted. “Maybe after a few days, I’ll have a better idea of what to do.”
