![Emirates Loto draw](https://imagevars.gulfnews.com/2020/05/24/Emirates-Loto-draw-_172465b1842_medium.jpg)
Dubai: Just as the summer temperature soars up, the excitement on who will be the first Emirates Loto jackpot winner is also building up.
A whopping Dh50 million is still up for grabs, following eight consecutive weeks of no jackpot winners.
The next live draw will take place on Saturday (June 13) at 9pm and will be specially dedicated to the celebration of the 122nd Philippine Independence Day.
Several Filipino expats have won second-tier prizes in the region’s first, fatwa-approved, fully digital collectable scheme. Last weekend, four Filipinos were one number away from winning the jackpot.
Three Indian nationals and one expat each from UK, Serbia and Senegal also matched five out of six numbers during Emirates Loto’s eighth draw.
The 10 lucky UAE residents shared the Dh1 million second-tier prize and brought home Dh100,000 each.
Three of the 10 winners – Filipinos Damian Jr Alagdon Porcare and Helen Capulong Simbulan, and Indian expat Oberoi N Joseph – won by selecting winning numbers based on the birthdates of their family members. They vowed to share part of their winnings with charities engaged in helping people affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Another winner, Archie Mercado, 41, will use his winnings for house construction while Vinesh Kumar, a 45-year-old Indian electrical engineer who resides in Sharjah, will use his winnings to clear his debt.
British recruitment consultant Lee Mills, 29, thought he was being pranked when he was contacted by Emirates Loto to announce he won while IT project manager Daniela Dokovic from Serbia was overjoyed as she had never won anything before. Another winner, a 30-year-old Senegalese waiter promised to help a charity association in his home country called ‘Aidons les Talibés’ (Help Homeless Youth) with his winnings.
The two other winners, meanwhile, requested their identities to remain anonymous.
Emirates Loto CEO Paul Sebestyen said: “Last weekend’s diverse set of winners represents the multi-national and multi-cultural spirit of the UAE. Their plans to help relatives, pursue their dreams, support friends and donate to charities in their home countries are what Emirates Loto stands for.
The next live draw (June 13, 9pm) can be watched live on www.emiratesloto.com and Emirates Loto’s social media platforms.