Dubai: Filipino expat Roland, 38, and his partner can finally have their dream wedding. Not lavish but a meaningful one, and more importantly, they now have enough funds to start a family and live comfortably after winning Dh1 million in the latest Mahzooz draw.
Roland, an Abu Dhabi resident of 10 years, was one of two lucky winners of the Dh2 million rolled-over second-tier prize during the live draw held on May 29. The other winner was an Emirati who declined to disclose his name. They both matched five out of six winning numbers 6-13-14-15-18-47, becoming the eighth and ninth Mahzooz millionaires in 2021.
In a phone interview with Gulf News on Thursday, Roland said it was his fiancée, KC, who selected the winning numbers based on the birthdays in the family. Roland was born January 6 and KC on November 15. Unfortunately no one in their immediate family was born on the 13th and they missed that number to get the first prize of Dh50 million.
‘I had to check my BP’
“But the prize money was more than enough for us,” Roland, who works as a cake delivery driver, told Gulf News, adding: “I’ve been participating in the draw from day one and I never lost hope.”
“I always knew my lucky day would come and it came last Saturday. I couldn’t believe it at first. When I saw that my numbers matched, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. I even had to check my blood pressure the next morning! I never thought that I’d become a millionaire but now I know for sure that everything in life is possible,” he added.
Roland said the first order after getting the windfall was to purchase the piece of land, where their family house stand at their home province in Pangasinan, Philippines. “I will have our house renovated then I will help out my brother, who supported me through college and helped me go here (UAE). Then KC and I will plan out our wedding,” he added.
“We have been talking about getting married for a long time and now we can finally afford it,” Roland said with glee.
Prudent steward
Roland added: “I will also be a prudent steward of the gift I received from God. I will invest the money in a business either here in the UAE or in the Philippines. KC and I will definitely continue to work even after winning a big money.”
As for those hoping to win someday, Roland said: “Don’t stop. Continue to move forward, keep your hopes high and maybe one day you will be the lucky one.”
Who will win Dh50 million?
The first prize of Dh50 million is still waiting to be won and will once again be up for grabs in the draw on Saturday (June 5) 5 June 2021 at at 9pm (UAE time). Entry price is Dh35. Entrants can participate by registering at Mahzooz website. The draw is live streamed from Mahzooz studio and hosted by Lebanese presenter Wissam Braidy, and Indian presenter, Aishwarya Ajit.
