'Things will always get better': UAE Emirates Draw winner expresses joy at taking home Dh77,777

The 55th episode of Emirates Draw Mega7 saw as many as 537 winners taking home Dh664,349 in cash prizes. Chong Khong and Turab Rahman are among the Raffle winners, taking home Dh77,777 each. The joyous winners expressed their excitement and emotions upon the announcement of the results.

Turab Rahman is a logistics professional who has been living in Dubai for twelve years with his wife and three daughters. The 49-year-old Indian national recalls the challenging times of the pandemic, during which he lost his job and struggled for several months. He eventually had to take up a travelling assignment which required him to travel to Saudi Arabia weekly, and be able to return to his family in Dubai only on the weekends.

“It is unfortunate to lose out on so much precious time with the family, especially [during] the growing years of children. This win came as a blessing, and I want to spend a portion of it on a spiritual journey to Makkah and Madinah with the family to thank Allah,” he says earnestly, speaking from Riyadh via phone. Although he is a regular participant in Emirates Draw Mega7, Turab could not participate for the past two months due to his hectic weekend travels. He resumed his participation by entering last week’s draw, and the timing turned out to be perfect. “I cannot describe this feeling, as it’s a plethora of emotions, including relief, happiness, gratitude and renewed faith that things will always get better; we just need to keep trying and believing,” says the doting husband and father.

Meanwhile, Chong Khong’s unique story offers another symbolic perspective of a family’s bond – that of a son. The 42-year-old Malaysian national has been a resident of the UAE for twelve years while his parents live in Malaysia. He usually relies on his mother to choose his numbers for him. This time, the numbers she chose happened to be his birthday and made him a big winner.

“I am shocked and grateful. I have won a few gift vouchers, but nothing of this scale; this is incredible!” he mentions animatedly. Chong has multiple plans, one of which is to fly his parents to Dubai and treat them to a lovely holiday. Since dogs have had a special place in Chong’s heart, he intends to use a portion of his win to support dog shelters in the UAE and invest the remaining into stocks and savings. He urges others to participate too, saying, “The way I see it, you are participating in saving the coral reefs ‘For A Better Tomorrow’ while also having opportunities to win big!”

The Dh100 Million Grand Prize, the largest in the Mena region, remains up for grabs to be claimed by a single person or group of people who match all seven numbers from the right. Participants have another opportunity to try for the life-changing prize during the next draw set to broadcast on Sunday, October 23 2022, at 9 PM UAE time.

How to play

Entrants can choose to participate in the weekly Emirates Draw Mega7, held every Sunday, by purchasing a Dh50 pencil(s), part of which goes to support the environment through the planting of coral polyps along the coast of the UAE, and as part of Emirates Draw’s corporate social responsibility programme to support the UAE government’s vision.

• Emirates Draw MEGA7 win adds spice to duo's lives