Kerala nurse wins Dh25,000 on second Big Ticket purchase in weekly e-draw

Four participants from India each walked away with Dh25,000 in Big Ticket’s second weekly e-draw for August, bringing their combined winnings to Dh100,000.

From a first-time winner to long-time participants who have kept trying their luck for years, each winner had a different journey to their unexpected cash prize.

For Indian expat Muhammed Zahir, an online Big Ticket purchase turned into an unexpected win when his ticket, 290-094275, was selected in the draw.

Zahir was delighted to learn that his ticket had won, marking an exciting moment for the participant as he took home Dh25,000.

For 56-year-old businessman Sajid Khan, the win came after nearly three decades of living in the UAE and years of participating in Big Ticket.

Originally from Pune, India, Khan has lived in the UAE for almost 33 years. He first began participating in Big Ticket several years ago, usually purchasing tickets individually whenever he decided to enter.

His first win came through a randomly selected ticket, but the news still came as a surprise. Khan had initially believed Big Ticket only held monthly draws and was pleasantly surprised to discover that his ticket had won one of the weekly draws.

The Dh25,000 prize has already given him an idea of how he would like to spend it, treating his children to a holiday.

After years of participating, Khan said he plans to continue entering future draws. Sharing his advice with fellow participants, he kept it simple: “Be in it to win it.”

For 64-year-old civil engineer Thomas Geevarghese, the win was the result of years of participation and a ticket purchased together with his group.

Originally from Kerala, India, Geevarghese has lived in the UAE for the past 20 years. He first heard about Big Ticket through friends and has since participated every month, sometimes buying tickets individually and at other times joining a group of four.

When Richard from Big Ticket called to tell him the news, Geevarghese initially found it difficult to believe. He opened the Big Ticket livestream himself and saw the result before finally realising that he had won.

With his family based in India, Geevarghese plans to put his share of the prize into savings. He also intends to continue participating in future draws.

Describing Big Ticket as “very good for the public", he said he hoped his win would encourage others to take part, adding: “It is so helpful for everyone, and I hope it gets to help you like it will help me.”

Originally from Kerala, India, Manikantan purchased his latest Big Ticket from the Abu Dhabi Airport store, having participated only once before. He entered individually and selected his ticket number at random, with no expectation that his second-ever purchase would bring him his first win.