Birthday gift! UAE resident, 60, wins luxury sports bike in Dubai Duty Free raffle

Dubai: A quarter-century-long wait for a lottery win ended for a 60-year-old UAE resident when he won a brand-new luxury sports motorbike through a lucky raffle ticket he purchased on his milestone birthday.

The double dose of luck also made him the first Ethiopian national to win a motorbike in Dubai Duty Free's Finest Surprise draw since the promotion began in 2002.

Samson Assefa, who runs a general trading company in Dubai, struck gold in DDF Finest Surprise Series 632, winning an Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 (Red) motorbike with ticket number 0090.

“I bought the ticket on my birthday. This is truly the best birthday gift ever,” a jubilant Assefa told Gulf News.

He thanked DDF for making his win truly special.

Though he has been a Dubai resident for only 13 years, the father-of-three has been taking part in Dubai Duty Free’s promotions for over two decades.

“I started buying tickets more than 25 years ago, even before I moved to Dubai. Every time I transited through the airport, I’d buy a ticket,” he recalled.

Though he has tried his luck at the million-dollar tickets for DDF’s Millennium Millionaire draw a couple of times in the past, he preferred the vehicle raffles for car and bike.

“I’ve been in the car industry most of my life, so naturally, I leaned toward buying car and motorbike tickets. Million-dollar tickets? I tried just twice,” he laughed.

The winning moment came with a bit of déjà vu for Assefa. “Three months ago, during another draw, I heard them mention an Ethiopian winner and my heart skipped a beat. But it wasn’t me. It was another Ethiopian who won a car. This time, it was me. I was like, ‘alright, finally’!”

Assefa joked about how he broke the news to his teenage daughter. “I have three children, aged 35, 25 and 15. I texted my 15-year-old daughter saying, ‘This is how I’m going to take you to school now – on a red Aprilia!’”

However, Assefa believes a super naked sports bike may not be the typical choice for someone aged 60.

“I used to ride a lot when I was younger. But it is not the time to relive those days. My children won’t allow me to ride the bike at this age. When you are older, nothing impresses you. That time has passed,” he said, confirming that he would sell the luxury bike and use the money for his family.

And will he continue participating? “Of course. I’ll buy…I buy for my children,” he added.

Asked if he will continue participating, he said: “Of course. I’ll buy… I buy for my children.”

In fact, Assefa revealed he had also bought a ticket for a luxury car draw on his birthday. “DDF is yet to announce the draw date for the BMW 740i M Sport Tanzanite Blue Metallic.”

He is now looking forward to seeing if Lady Luck will smile again with a car win in the next draw.

Assefa also plans to buy tickets for the Millennium Millionaire draw from now on. “Let’s see if I win the million dollars. If that happens, I will give my photo to be published,” he said, while requesting not to publish his photo for this report.