Bangladeshi man Balal at the Big Ticket Draw (Photo: Gulf News)
11 Asian expats, including Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, on July 3 won Rs 59,77,24,500 (Dh 25 million) in the Big Ticket draw.
The winners were revealed during the August 3 Big Ticket live draw for Dh 20 million, when Mohammed Naser Balal, the winner of July’s Dh 25 million jackpot, made a guest appearance at the Big Ticket studio in Abu Dhabi to help pick the latest grand prize winner.
“We are a total of 11 people. There is one person from Pakistan, another one from India,” Balal, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi expat who works as an electrician in Abu Dhabi, was quoted by Gulf News.
Balal has been residing in the UAE for 14 years and has been consistently buying tickets for the past 12 years. His dedication finally paid off last month when he and his group won the life-changing prize.
The hosts of the Big Ticket draw revealed that it was difficult to reach out to Balal when his ticket was drawn on July 3. “I was busy at work, and my mobile phone was also on silent,” Balal said.
Speaking of his plans, Balal stressed that his priority is to build a house for his family. He also plans to invest part of the winnings both in the UAE and back home in Bangladesh.
“First, I want to build a home for my family in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that strangers-turned-friends from across the Indian subcontinent had come together to create this shared success.
This post was last modified on August 5, 2025 4:28 pm