UAE gets 7 multi-millionaires in 6 months: How Abu Dhabi Big Ticket draw changed residents' lives

Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket, the largest and longest-running raffle draw in the GCC, has transformed the lives of 291 people by giving away more than Dh159 million worth of cash, gold, and dream car prizes, in the first six months of this year.

On the third day of every month, one lucky grand prize winner is announced during the Big Ticket live show held in Abu Dhabi. Over the past six months, a total of seven multi-millionaires pocketed a collective amount of Dh143 million in grand prizes. In addition to the winners of the grand prize, seven ‘Dream Car’ winners took home luxury cars including Maserati, Range Rover, and BMW.

Among this year’s grand prize winners is Pradeep Kumar, who won Dh15 million in May.

“I actually won a Dh100,000 cash prize with Big Ticket back in 1998. I quickly learned the hard way the importance of taking advantage of long-term investment opportunities,” said Kumar.

“Winning a raffle draw is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but unfortunately many people end up spending their winnings unwisely. I believe it’s important to take a more conservative approach when it comes to planning smart investments for the future. Slow and steady wins the race.”

Like Pradeep, Ranjit Jumar Pal, who bagged the Dh23 million grand prize in February, said he is keen to make careful investments that can support his family’s well-being in the long term.

“Thanks to Big Ticket, I now feel I am able to secure better futures for my children. I have saved most of my winnings and plan to wait an additional three to six months before putting together a roadmap for how I would like to use the prize money,” Pal said.

Mohamed Ali Moideen, Big Ticket’s most recent grand prize winner of Dh15 million in July, noted: “When I first started receiving calls from the Big Ticket team, I thought I was being pranked by family and friends. I couldn’t believe I had won,” said Moideen.

“I’d pooled my money with 20 friends, so I’ll be splitting the cash prize amount with them.”

Currently, he owns a tower maintenance company and plans to expand the business to a construction one. He is looking to secure good business opportunities and investments that can help him achieve this goal.

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