Dubai: A Bangladeshi expatriate, who works as a limousine driver with a Dubai taxi company, still can’t believe he has won Dh77,777 in Emirates Draw after participating in the draw only three times.
Mintu Barua, 40, who started participating only a month ago, said: “My colleague encouraged me to buy Dh50 pencils after he won last month. I’m so happy that I did because now my life’s changed completely. I was shocked when I got a phone call from Emirates Draw, saying that I won.
Barua, a Dubai resident for more than 13 years, added: “I’m not sure what I’ll do with my winnings. Right now, I just want to celebrate and figure things out later. I’m going to keep participating and hopefully, I’ll have the chance to win again in the future, maybe even the Grand Prize of Dh100 million.”
First time in the draw
Fellow winner Sivy Abraham, a 32-year-old operations manager who works in the health sector, also shared Mintu’s excitement of winning Dh77,777. The Indian expatriate plans to divide his winnings between his parents, donating to charity and savings.
It was Abraham’s first time in the draw. He said: “I’ve been trying to participate several times and thankfully, I was finally able to purchase a Dh50 pencil to enter the latest draw round. I’m still in happy shock that I won Dh77,777 after participating just once. Thank you Emirates Draw for doing this and changing people’s lives for the better every week.”
‘I’m over the moon’
Muhammad Mansoor was also shocked to discover that he had won Dh77,777 after participating weekly over the last nine months. The Pakistani expatriate, who is based in Ajman, initially thought he had won just Dh77 when he received a congratulatory email from Emirates Draw, only to discover that his winning amount was much higher after checking his dashboard.
“I’m over the moon! I had previously won Dh77, so thought I received the same amount this time too. It was a huge surprise when I found out that I had won Dh77,777! I wasn’t sure if it was true, but then I received a phone call that confirmed it,” the 36-year-old said smiling.
Mansoor, who works in sales for a wedding decorations company, added: “I plan to clear my debts, buy something special for my mother and put the remaining amount in savings. I hope to go on Umrah later this year, so the winnings will help me save towards it.”
How to play?
To date, more than Dh27 million have been presented in prize money to over 19,000 winners since the organisation’s inception in September 2021. The grand prize remains at Dh100 million until a single person or a group of people match all seven numbers correctly.
Entrants can choose to participate in the weekly draw by purchasing a Dh50 pencil that will support in planting coral polyps. After registering online, participants can select their seven-digit number or have the system choose their number randomly. With their purchase, participants are entered into two separate draws. The first one is a raffle draw where every week seven lucky participants are guaranteed to win Dh77,777 each. In addition, all participants will be entered into a second draw with six prize categories, including a grand prize of Dh100 million when all seven numbers are matched.
The next draw will be on June 12, at 9pm (UAE time). It will be streamed live across Emirates Draw digital platforms.
