Sharjah expat of more than three decades plans to support his family in Bangladesh and donate part of his winnings to charity.
Four expatriates from India and Bangladesh have each won Dh25,000 in Big Ticket’s third weekly e-draw for September.
The winners, all of whom have spent several years living and working in the UAE, have different plans for how they intend to use their prize money.
Despite those differences, they shared similar feelings of gratitude and excitement after receiving the unexpected news, with several saying they were delighted to celebrate the win with friends and loved ones.
Ayyalu Samy
Samy has lived and worked in the UAE for 15 years, while his family continues to reside in India. A regular Big Ticket participant, he sometimes buys tickets on his own and at other times joins friends to enter the draw.
For the latest draw, Samy purchased a ticket independently and chose the number at random.
He said receiving the winning call came as a pleasant surprise, particularly because he had bought the ticket on his own without putting much thought into selecting the number.
For Samy, the decision on how to use the prize money was straightforward. With his family living in India, he plans to use the winnings to support them.
Mohammed Shahadat Hussain
Mohammed Shahadat Hussain, a 38-year-old sales executive from Bangladesh, has been living in Abu Dhabi for the past 16 years.
Having heard about Big Ticket during his time in the UAE, he decided to try his luck and had purchased tickets only three or four times before securing his first win.
For his latest entry, Shahadat teamed up with 12 friends, forming a group of 13 participants. When it came to choosing the ticket number, he simply selected the first one he saw without giving the decision much thought.
That spontaneous choice ultimately proved to be the winning one.
Shahadat said he was thrilled when he received the call confirming the group’s Dh25,000 win.
The prize money will be divided among the 13 participants, with Shahadat planning to send his share to his family in Bangladesh.
Following the unexpected win, he said he intends to participate in Big Ticket every month and hopes to eventually secure the grand prize.
Abul Bashar
Abul Bashar, a 56-year-old painter from Bangladesh, has lived in Sharjah for the past 34 years, while his family remains in his home country.
His Big Ticket journey began after a recommendation from his brother, who had regularly participated in the draws for several years. Encouraged by him, Abul decided to try his luck as well.
He has since been entering the draws with a group of 20 friends. When they learned that their ticket had won, Abul said the group was delighted to share the moment together.
The Dh25,000 prize will now be divided among the group, with Abul planning to use his share for two purposes close to him.
He intends to send part of the money to his family in Bangladesh and donate another portion to charity.
Following the win, Abul said he plans to continue participating in future Big Ticket draws.
Eldho Mathew
Eldho Mathew, a 30-year-old driver from Kerala, India, has been living and working in Kuwait for the past eight years, while his family remains in India.
He was introduced to Big Ticket through friends who were already regular participants. After seeing them enter the draws, Eldho decided to join them and now participates as part of a group of 25 people.
For Eldho, the win was particularly memorable because he was able to share the excitement with his friends.
Eldho said the win was a joyful moment for the entire group, particularly because they regularly participate together and were able to celebrate the unexpected result as friends.
Following the win, he plans to continue entering future Big Ticket draws and try his luck again.
Meanwhile, Big Ticket’s September promotion is approaching its conclusion, with a Dh20 million grand prize still available in the live draw scheduled for October 3.
The draw will also offer Dh1.95 million in consolation prizes across five winners. One participant will receive Dh1 million, another will win Dh500,000 and a third will take home Dh250,000. Two additional winners will each receive Dh100,000.
