Abu Dhabi: An Indian technician’s first solo Big Ticket entry has won him Dh 100,000 (Rs 26 lakh) in the latest Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw after he selected the number at random.
Sandeepkumar Nanera, a 43-year-old freelance technician from Gujarat, India, has worked in the Middle East for more than 13 years. He has been participating in Big Ticket for the past three years, usually as part of a group of six friends.
For Series 290, however, Nanera decided to buy a ticket on his own for the first time. He selected the number at random and did not expect it to bring him his first win.
“I’ve been trying my luck for a while, so it felt really good to finally win. What makes it even more special is that this was the first ticket I bought on my own,” he said.
Nanera plans to keep things simple with his Dh 100,000 prize and expects to put most of the money into his savings. He also intends to continue participating in Big Ticket.
Other Indian expatriates among winners
Nanera was one of four Indian expatriates to win Dh 100,000 in the Series 290 draw.
Suresh Kumar, a 39-year-old operations management professional from Punjab, India, has lived in Ras Al Khaimah for the past 19 years, while his family remains in India.
Kumar first learned about Big Ticket through social media and has been participating since 2019. He has bought tickets both individually and as part of groups of friends over the years.
For this draw, he again purchased a ticket on his own and selected the number at random.
“I was very happy when I received the winning call. I’ve been participating for several years, so it was a great feeling to finally receive that call, especially with a ticket I had purchased on my own,” Kumar said.
He has not yet decided how he will use his prize.
“I’ll wait until I receive the prize and then decide what I want to do with it,” he said.
Shiblin Sarfraz, originally from India and now living in the UAE, was also among the Indian winners. Sarfraz discovered that ticket number 250439 had won a Dh 100,000 prize.
Mullapulli Praveen Babu was the fourth Indian expatriate to receive Dh 100,000 in the draw.
Together, the four Indian winners accounted for Dh 400,000 of the five Dh 100,000 consolation prizes awarded in Series 290.
Bangladeshi expatriate wins with group
The fifth consolation prize went to Mohammed Rafiqul Islam, a 53-year-old Bangladeshi expatriate who has lived in Dubai for the past 17 years while his family remains in Bangladesh.
Islam regularly participates in Big Ticket as part of a group, so his Dh 100,000 prize will be shared among its members.
“I felt very happy when I found out we had won. When you are living away from your family and working hard, moments like this mean a lot,” he said.
“The first thing I thought about was my family back home and how happy they would be to hear the news.”
Islam has not yet decided how he will use his share of the winnings, but the win has encouraged him to continue participating. He purchased another Big Ticket the following day.
“I just want to thank the Big Ticket team for this experience. It has brought us a lot of happiness, and we will definitely continue taking part,” he said.
The five consolation prize winners received a combined Dh 500,000.
Next draw offers Dirham 20 million
Big Ticket’s September line-up includes a Dh 20 million grand prize, which one winner is set to take home during the live draw on October 3.
Five additional winners will share Dh 1.95 million in consolation prizes, including Dh 1 million, Dh 500,000, Dh 250,000 and two prizes of Dh 100,000.
Tickets are available online via the official Big Ticket website or at counters in Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.
