UAE: Man on stopover wins luxury car with first Big Ticket purchase

After a business trip to Manila, a 55-year-old Syrian national had a stopover in Abu Dhabi, on the way back to his home in Kuwait when he purchased his first Dream Car ticket at Zayed International Airport on July 31.

During the Series 265 Big Ticket draw, Hassan Almekded was named the lucky winner of a brand new BMW 430i worth Dh265,000.

Despite initially forgetting to purchase the ticket on his business trip, he got lucky on his way back home.

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Hassan, the thrilled winner, said, "I heard about Big Ticket last year on Instagram but didn’t get the chance to participate in their draws until recently. On my way to Manila, I passed by the Big Ticket store at the Abu Dhabi airport, and a sales associate approached me, asking if I wanted to try my luck. I told her I’d think about it, went to my gate, and then forgot about it."

The winner thanked the sales associate who convinced him to try his luck.

"On my way back from Manila to Kuwait, I passed by the store again and ran into the same sales associate; she remembered me and again asked me to try my luck. Seeing how confident she was about my chances and my luck, I decided to give it a try and selected a ticket with my lucky number 19."

He added, "My instincts told me I would win, and I am incredibly happy. Thanks to the lady who sold me the ticket and convinced me to try my luck."

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