Forgotten password leads to Big Ticket win for Abu Dhabi couple

Sometimes, a little forgetfulness can lead to a big surprise. That’s exactly what happened to 53-year-old Abu Dhabi resident Connie Tabalujan, who won the latest Big Ticket weekly e-draw.

Connie, a freelance travel agent from Indonesia who has been calling Abu Dhabi home for 17 years, won Dh50,000 in Series 279 with ticket number 291267, even though she wasn’t the one who bought it.

“Usually, my husband is the one who purchases the tickets, but this time he forgot his Big Ticket account password and decided to buy the ticket under my name instead.”

That spur-of-the-moment decision ended up putting her in the winner’s spotlight. The winning entry wasn’t just theirs alone, though. Her husband had purchased it as part of a group with eight colleagues.

‘I assumed it was a scam’

However, when show host Richard called her to break the happy news, she was not reachable.
“When I first received the winning call, I was occupied with work and, upon checking my call log later, I assumed it was a scam as we believed the draw was scheduled for October 3. It was only when one of my husband’s colleagues checked the website and saw my name listed that we realised we had truly won,” she laughed.

The couple plans to use their share of the prize to buy a new laptop, while the rest will be split among the group. But the victory has ignited fresh excitement.
“My husband and his colleagues are now more motivated than ever, with their sights set on the bigger prizes, so they will definitely continue purchasing Big Ticket. My message to others would be to never lose hope.”