Dubai Duty Free draw: Russian seaman, Dubai businessman win $1m each

Dubai: A Russian oil tanker seaman and an American design-firm owner living in Dubai have each walked away with $1 million after Wednesday's Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw at Concourse D of Dubai International Airport, according to a Dubai Duty Free statement. Three more entrants took home luxury vehicles in the accompanying Finest Surprise draw.

Andrey Kravtsov, 49, who is based in Vladivostok and works aboard an oil tanker, took the top prize in Millennium Millionaire Series 552 on ticket number 2577, bought online on July 24. A father of three, Kravtsov has bought into the promotion every year for the past seven years.

"Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free for this wonderful opportunity to win this big," he said after the draw.

He becomes the fourth Russian national to claim the $1 million prize since Millennium Millionaire launched in 1999.

The second seven-figure ticket, Series 553, belonged to Brad Cantrell, a 41-year-old American who has called Dubai home for a decade and runs a design company in the city. He bought ticket number 2849 online on August 4.

"This is absolutely amazing! Thank you Dubai Duty Free!" said Cantrell, a father of one and a longtime entrant in the promotion. Asked what he'd do with the money, he said he plans to buy property and put the rest into his business.

Cantrell is the 16th American to win the Millennium Millionaire jackpot since the promotion began.

The draw also included a presentation ceremony for Antoine Labaky, a Lebanese national from Beirut who won Series 551 on ticket 3360. It's Labaky's second Millennium Millionaire jackpot — he first won in Series 279 back in August 2018 — making him only the 12th person in the promotion's history to win the $1 million prize twice.

Labaky has now collected three Dubai Duty Free prizes in total: he also won a BMW 745Li through the Finest Surprise draw in August 2004.

"It's great to be back at Dubai Duty Free to receive my second $1 million ceremonial cheque," he said. "It still feels surreal to be in the same position I was back in August 2018... I'm very grateful for this opportunity and I can't thank Dubai Duty Free enough for running an amazing promotion."

The Finest Surprise draw that followed produced three more winners.

Brian Rooney, a 48-year-old Irish national who has lived in Dubai for four years, won a Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Ultimate Edition P525 in Charente Grey (ticket 0603, Series 1960), purchased online at Concourse B on July 16. Rooney, a father of two, founded the Dubai-based facilities management and pest control tech firm Trap Insights.

"This is the first time I've ever won something in my life, and I'm happy that it was with Dubai Duty Free," said Rooney, who becomes the ninth Irish national to win a Finest Surprise vehicle since that promotion started in 1989.

Filipino national Ronald Ramos, 45, a QA/QC engineer with Binladin Construction Group, won a black Harley-Davidson Softail Street Bob-FXBB (ticket 0908, Series 674), bought online on July 20. Ramos had spent years entering tickets under his son Joachim's name — Joachim Baron Ramos has picked up three motorbikes of his own since 2020 — before switching to his own name three years ago.

"Finally, after buying tickets under my own name for the last three years, I can finally say that my name has the same luck as my son," Ramos said.

Rounding out the vehicle winners, Iranian national Elham Khalajzadeh, 42, a housewife and mother of one based in Dubai, won an Aprilia RSV4 1100 in Stingray Blue (ticket 0110, Series 675), bought online on July 28. Khalajzadeh had only been entering the promotion for three to four months.

"Thank you Dubai Duty Free, I'm very happy with this win!" she said.