Dubai: After spending thousands of dirhams on rafflet tickets for ten years, Santosh Vijayan finally hit the jackpot.
The 50-year-old Indian expatriate is one of the latest US dollar millionaires declared by Dubai Duty Free on Tuesday.
The ticket he bought recently, which was drawn during the latest edition of Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise promotion at the Dubai International Airport, just won for himself $1 million (Dh3.6 million).
“I finally got lucky this time,” Vijayan told Gulf News. The father of two has been living in the UAE for 27 years and works as an operations manager for a company based in Abu Dhabi.
He has a habit of buying at least one Dubai Duty Free ticket, which costs Dh1,000 each, whenever he travels. And on average, he picks two or three tickets a year.
While he may have spent so much, approximately Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 on tickets in a decade, he said all the money he has spent is worth it.
"I couldn't think of a specific reason why I got lucky this time, but I guess it's worth the money. I encourage other people to bet on luck, too," he said.
Another raffle draw participant got lucky as well, and this time, the winner didn't have to spend as much as the Indian expatriate.
Yasunobu Yamada, a 47-year-old Japanese national from Fukuoka Japan, also won $1 million (Dh3.6 million) in the same draw.
The Japanese traveller was on his way to Germany when he bought a Dubai Duty Free ticket. “It was my second trip in Dubai and I couldn’t be happier that my second visit has made me a millionaire,” the winner said.
Two other draw participants didn't end up millionaires but they won for themselves two luxury vehicles. The Quantum Silver Aston Martin Rapide went to Osman Khar, a British national based in Abu Dhabi.
Dileep Sasi, a 42-year-old Indian who has been living in Dubai for 11 years, bagged a BMW R Nine T Racer motorbike.
