First UAE Lottery draw: Winning numbers for Dh100 million jackpot, ‘lucky seven’ announced; as it happened

As the Dh100-million jackpot sparked a wave of excitement, residents clung to the screen today for the inaugural draw. Some bought 20 tickets to increase their chances of winning, yet others tried their luck despite not winning at other draws previously held.

Dreams of building a house, securing children's future, and paying off debts, was what this sum meant to those eagerly waiting for the numbers to be drawn.

The UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC, offers a range of prizes, and participants can select their own lottery numbers or use the random generator. It also has the option to buy scratch cards for prizes up to Dh1 million. In addition to the jackpot, seven ‘Lucky Chance IDs’ are “guaranteed” to win Dh100,000 each.

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As the inaugural draw was held today, Khaleej Times reporters bring you an in-depth experience of how the event unfolded. Read all about it here:

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8pm: 'Bought 20 tickets'

Shuaib Khan, an engineer working in Abu Dhabi, initiated the idea of pooling money as a group. Instead of buying one ticket, Shuaib and his colleagues came together to buy 20 tickets.

“A group of us at work decided to pool Dh1,000 by contributing Dh100 each, and we managed to get 20 tickets. We have carefully picked different sets of numbers for each ticket to increase our chances,” said Shuaib. “The logic is simple, the more tickets you buy, especially with many numbers, the better your chances of winning,” he said.

“If we are lucky enough to hit the jackpot, we have agreed to split the winnings equally among all 10 of us. Even one share of the Dh100-million prize would be life-changing for each of us. We are all glued to the draw tonight, praying for that big moment,” said Shuaib.

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8.13pm: Dreams of building a house with lottery money

Several UAE residents continue to buy tickets to such draws every month without fail, even though they have never won.

Sabith, an Indian expat who works as a driver in Al Ain, has been buying the Big Ticket raffle for seven years. “The 30 days from one ticket to another, I see 30 different dreams,” he said. “It is a source of hope that has been inspiring us.”

Every month, he pools money with his friends and his father to buy a ticket. “Last year, one of our friends won big money with the raffle,” he said. “Since then everyone including my father has been religiously contributing towards it. We even have family friends from India pooling in because my friend’s win inspired everyone. My father, who also works as a driver, dreams of settling back home and building a house if he wins.”

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8.18pm: Where to watch

The inaugural draw will be held at 8.30pm on Saturday, December 14. You can read all about it here, with regular, real-time updates by Khaleej Times.

The draw will also be streamed live on the gaming platform's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theuaelottery/streams

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8.22pm: Waiting since 7pm

Abdul Hameed, a long-time resident of Dubai, has joined thousands of hopeful participants across the country for the UAE lottery’s highly anticipated live draw. Determined not to miss a single moment, he logged on to YouTube as early as 7pm, well ahead of the 8.30pm draw.

For this life-changing opportunity, Hameed carefully selected his lucky numbers — 29, 2, 26, 16, 8, 14, and 4 — and surrounded himself with his family for what could be a defining moment.

“It’s been such a long day waiting for the evening draw. We have been counting down the hours, and now that it’s so close, the excitement is through the roof,” said Hameed.

“We signed in early, and our YouTube channel has been on for the past half an hour. Everyone at home is gathered around, and we are just hoping for that life-changing moment,” said Hameed. “A jackpot of Dh100 million is a dream, it’s not just money but an opportunity to transform lives, support loved ones, and maybe even give back to the community.”

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8.27pm: What are the prizes?

The 'Lucky Day' grand prize of Dh100 million is up for grabs. In addition to the jackpot, seven 'Lucky Chance IDs' will win Dh100,000 each. Buyers can choose six numbers from the "Days" section, ranging from 1 to 31, and one number from the "Months" section that range from 1 to 12.

Depending on the numbers matched, the prizes are Dh100, Dh1,000, Dh100,000, Dh1 million, or Dh100 million.

In addition to lottery numbers, scratch cards offer prizes up to Dh1 million. A Dh5 card will give you a chance to win Dh50,000; a Dh10 card has a top prize of Dh100,000 while Dh20 ones have Dh300,000. The Dh50 cards give residents a chance to win Dh1 million.

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8.30pm: The wait is over!

The live-streaming of the draw has officially commenced, and eager residents are sharing their excitement in the comments as the UAE's first-ever regulated lottery operation hosts its inaugural draw.

The live kicked off with hosts Diala Makki and Chadi Khalaf introducing the draw and giving a rundown of the prizes in both Arabic and English.

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8.33pm: 3-hour suspension

During the live draw, sales of Lucky Day tickets will be temporarily suspended for a 3-hour period from 7pm to 10pm.

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8.36pm: 'Hoping to get lucky once more'

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