Four Indian expatriates each won Dh25,000 in Big Ticket’s second weekly e-draw for August, with their combined prize money reaching Dh100,000. The winning tickets were drawn manually from a physical raffle drum at the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi studio and announced live, as set out in the Big Ticket draw rules and procedures.
The four winners (a businessman, a civil engineer, a nurse and a fourth participant) each took a different route to the same prize.
Who won the Big Ticket weekly e-draw
Muhammed Zahir, an Indian expat, received the winning call when his ticket, number 290-094275, was selected in the draw. He described the moment as an unexpected surprise.
Sajid Khan, a 56-year-old businessman originally from Pune, has lived in the UAE for almost 33 years. He had been participating in Big Ticket for several years, usually buying tickets individually. Khan said he had initially believed the scheme ran only monthly draws and was not aware his ticket had entered a weekly round until the win was confirmed. He plans to spend the Dh25,000 taking his children on holiday. His advice to other participants: ‘Be in it to win it.’
Thomas Geevarghese, a 64-year-old civil engineer from Kerala, has lived in the UAE for 20 years. He participates monthly, sometimes alone and sometimes as part of a group of four. His winning ticket was a group purchase. When the Big Ticket team called, Geevarghese opened the livestream himself to confirm the result before accepting the news. His share of the prize will go into savings. ‘It is so helpful for everyone, and I hope it gets to help you like it will help me,’ he said.
Manikantan Mohanan Maniyan Mohanan, a 39-year-old nurse from Kerala, bought his winning ticket at the Abu Dhabi Airport store. It was only his second-ever Big Ticket purchase. He selected the number at random and entered individually. The win left him ‘very happy’ and he said it has encouraged him to keep participating. He is considering putting the prize into savings.
How Big Ticket weekly e-draw entries work
Participation in the weekly e-draw does not require a separate ticket. Anyone who buys a Big Ticket Monthly Draw ticket, priced at Dh500 (inclusive of VAT), during the relevant eligibility period is automatically entered, according to Big Ticket’s published rules.
Big Ticket states it has been running raffle draws since 1992, making it the longest-running raffle in the region, according to the Big Ticket FAQ page.
The August promotion concludes with a live draw on 3 September, when one winner will take home Dh15 million. Five further winners will each receive Dh100,000 at the same event.
The September promotion carries a larger headline prize. According to Gulf News, the grand prize for September rises to Dh20 million, with the live draw scheduled for 3 October. Four consolation winners will each receive Dh50,000 at the same draw. Tickets for the September promotion are available at bigticket.ae, Zayed International Airport, and Al Ain Airport.
For September, customers who buy two or more tickets in a single transaction between 1 and 24 September will automatically enter the Big Win Contest. Four participants will be selected on 1 October for a chance to compete live for guaranteed cash prizes ranging from Dh50,000 to Dh150,000.
