Kerala expat in Qatar wins Dh150K in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi contest

Luck was on the side of Riyas Panayakandiyil, an Indian expat based in Qatar, who grabbed the top prize of Dh150,000 in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi’s ‘Big Win’ contest during the Series 279 draw.

Hailing from Kerala, Riyas had purchased his ticket online and struck gold with ticket number 178286. “I am grateful to Big Ticket for choosing my name for the Big Win contest,” he said.

Unable to travel to Abu Dhabi due to personal reasons, Riyas entrusted his friend Ashik Mottam to spin the wheel on his behalf.

“It’s difficult for me to travel due to personal reasons, but I had full faith in my friend to win Dh150,000,” Riyas said in a pre-recorded message after his name was picked for the contest.

Ashik, spinning for a group of 20, turned his face away as the wheel slowed down and then got excited as it landed on Dh150,000, the maximum prize amount possible.
“Thanks a lot!” he exclaimed to hosts Richard and Bouchra.

“We will be sharing the prize among all 20 members,” Ashik said.