Four residents from India, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines each won Dh25,000 in the first Big Ticket weekly e-draw for September, with winners spanning the UAE and neighbouring Qatar.
The draw is part of Big Ticket‘s September prize lineup, which also includes a Dh20 million grand prize drawn on 3 October and a Big Spin game scheduled for 3 November offering up to Dh1 million per participant, as Gulf News reported when the month’s programme was announced.
Who won the Big Ticket weekly e-draw
Ahmed Zadeh, an Iranian national living in Qatar, purchased ticket number 029553 online a few days before the draw. He said he was stunned when his entry turned into a winning one.
Pranav Malil Sol, from Bengaluru, India, held ticket number 067408. He said he found it difficult to believe the result even after receiving a call from Big Ticket’s host Richard, and only accepted the news after checking the live draw on YouTube.
Aida Villanueva Centeno, a 61-year-old pharmacist originally from the Philippines, has lived in Abu Dhabi for 19 years and works at a hospital there. She entered as part of a group of 10 colleagues who have participated in Big Ticket together on multiple occasions. The group had stopped entering for a period after several unsuccessful attempts, then decided to try again.
Aida chose her ticket number using a combination of her own birthday and her daughter’s. ‘I wanted to choose something that meant something to me. I had a feeling that I would win this time, and somehow, that feeling came true,’ she said. She initially missed the winning call but said she was overjoyed when she found out. ‘We had tried so many times before, stopped for a while and then decided to try again, so to finally win together was such a wonderful feeling.’ The prize will be split among the group; Aida said she plans to save part of her share and use some of it to buy more Big Ticket entries.
Zulqarnain Malik, a 40-year-old HR professional from Pakistan, was born and raised in the UAE and lives there with his wife and two children. His winning ticket was only his sixth purchase with Big Ticket. He said he chose the number at random. ‘I don’t really believe in lucky numbers, so I just selected the ticket randomly.’ When the result came through, his reaction was different: ‘I got goosebumps when I found out. I was genuinely so happy, it was such an exciting experience, especially because I never expected to win.’ He said he plans to spend the prize on his family and has already bought his next ticket.
How the weekly e-draw works
Under Big Ticket’s draw rules and procedures, each ticket purchased during a weekly eligibility window counts as one entry into the corresponding weekly e-draw for that period. The operator, incorporated in the Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone, states in its terms and conditions that it has been running draws for more than 30 years.
Three further weekly e-draws remain in September, each offering four prizes of Dh25,000. The 3 October main draw also carries five consolation prizes totalling Dh1.95 million: one winner receives Dh1 million, a second takes Dh500,000, a third wins Dh250,000, and two additional winners each receive Dh100,000. A Nissan Patrol will be awarded at the same draw, with a Range Rover Velar offered at the 3 November draw.
The Big Spin game on 3 November gives three participants, selected during the 3 October live draw, the chance to win up to Dh1 million each.
