Ananth Perumalsamy, an Indian expat in Dubai, recently won Rs 2.32 crore (Dh 1 million) in the UAE Lottery.
The 33-year-old bought a lottery ticket with the money he saved by skipping tea. Ananth, a native of Tamil Nadu, India, has been working as an accountant in Dubai since 2017. He first heard about the UAE Lottery from his colleague and decided to pool in the money to purchase the ticket.
“When I first heard about the UAE Lottery in November last year, I was at work. A colleague mentioned that a new lottery was launching in the UAE. It sounded interesting, and we decided to pool in money and buy a ticket,” Ananth was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.
The accountant formed a group with 11 other friends, all of whom earn a modest income. He explained that buying a ticket individually would not fit their budget. Hence, they decided that each member of the group would contribute Dh 8 on a fortnightly basis to buy two lottery tickets. “Each ticket costs Dh 50. That means I only spend Dh 16 a month, which is like giving up 12 to 16 cups of tea,” he added.
The group has participated in each draw since its inception. On the day of the result, he checked the app at 9 pm. That day, after the live show, Ananth opened the app to check one last time. When he saw the result, the expat was shocked to see that he had won.
The prize money will be divided among the team members, with each of them receiving Rs 19-23 lakh.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | 
