Chennai expat who missed Big Ticket winning call confirms Dh25 million jackpot

Saravanan Venkatachalam, a 44-year-old Indian electrical engineer from Chennai, was at work when the Big Ticket hosts Richard and Bouchra tried calling him with the life-changing news. His phone, however, was on silent, and he missed the calls. Later, leaving the office, he didn’t return the missed calls, assuming it might be unsafe to answer an unknown number.

It was only when his wife and friends started calling incessantly that the news sank in: he had won the Dh25 million jackpot in raffle draw series 280.

“It was unbelievable. Even then, I wasn’t sure it was true because there may be many people with my name,” he told Gulf News, confirming the win after finally speaking with Big Ticket.

His first thought after winning?

“I had secured the future of my children. The only thing on my mind is their education,” said Venkatachalam with two children in school.
Venkatachalam, who moved to the UAE in 2019 and has worked across the GCC in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, said he has had financial pressures, including loans and debts. “Yes, all these are the reasons that make you come to the UAE.”

So, what made him try his luck?

“I started buying entries after one of my ex-colleagues won a Big Ticket prize in 2018 while in Qatar. That was the beginning. After that, I bought tickets occasionally, not continuously.”

Interestingly, he would buy tickets using credit card reward points.
“I used to redeem my cash rebate points to buy tickets. I didn’t spend my own money.”

And he bought the winning ticket alone, so he won’t be sharing the prize.

‘Try your luck, you never know’

Asked if there was a lucky formula behind his win, he shrugged.
“There is no pattern. I just liked that number at the end of the month. That’s it,” he said about the winning number 463221, purchased during the ‘Buy 1, get 1 free’ promotion on October 30. “This is the first time I have ever won anything in my life.”

How will he celebrate the win?

“Well, my friends and colleagues are coming over to congratulate me. I’m just grateful,” he said, his voice filled with quiet disbelief. He is encouraging others to take part, either individually or by pooling money with friends.

Tickets are available online at www.bigticket.ae and at counters located at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.