Dubai: Lady luck smiled twice on a Filipina expatriate in the same night!
At first, Wendy, 41, thought she had won only Dh1,000, after matching four out of the six winning numbers during the live Mahzooz draw held on May 15. But then, a friend told her she had another entry in the same draw that had matched five of the winning numbers accurately, which gave her a whopping Dh200,000. Wendy, a Dubai resident who works as an office manager, said: “I was driving with my friend during the draw and asked my brother to check the numbers for me. He mentioned that I got four out of the six winning numbers right (7-17-24-31-32-44) and I was quite happy to win Dh1,000.”
She continued: “But as I was celebrating, my friend told me that in the other entry that I had in the same draw, I matched five of the winning numbers correctly. I had to pull over and went online to check the results myself. Then I started crying and I told myself: ‘Is this really happening? Is this really true?’”
Reunion with daughter
“I’ve been participating in Mahzooz from the very beginning, along with my brother, and the big win came really at the right time,” said Wendy, adding: “This money changes everything for me and my family. I can finally bring my daughter here from the Philippines.”
Wendy hasn’t seen her eight-year-old daughter for more than two years due to COVID-related travel restrictions. “I usually go home once a year, but due to the pandemic, I haven’t seen or hugged my daughter in the past two years. Now, she can come and visit me,” she added.
Aside from reuniting with her daughter, Wendy has also earmarked the money to help her family. She said: “I will buy a house in the Philippines for my family, and I will give some money to my mum. We felt very good and positive about the numbers we chose last week. Everyday around the house kept saying ‘Don’t worry we’re going to win Mahzooz this week,’ and we just did,” she added.
Four more winners
Wendy was not the only lucky one who won in the latest Mahzooz draw. Four other winners shared the Dh1 million second-tier prize money and received Dh200,000 each.
Suresh, 42, an Indian expatriate living in Oman said: “With the money, I am going to buy a new house for my family in Kerala. The key is to participate — today I’m the winner, tomorrow it could be you.”
Sivakumar, 47, another Indian expatriate living in Abu Dhabi, added: “I am very happy and grateful to Mahzooz. Now I can repay my home loan and put money aside for my children’s future education.”
Noushad, 44, an Indian expatriate living in Oman was also ecstatic. He said: “This luck came to me at the perfect time. I started building my house in Kerala but then, due to COVID-19, my finances took a hit and I had to stop. Now I can finish what I had started.”
For Vasu, 57, another Indian expat living in Dubai, “the best part of this win is that it’s shared. I am happy, but so are so many other people, which is great”.
Who will win Dh50 million?
Many have won the second-tier prize, but the Dh50 million first prize is yet to be won. The next Mahzooz draw is scheduled for May 22, at 9pm (UAE time). Entry price is Dh35. Entrants can participate by registering at the Mahzooz website.
