From BBQ chat to big win: Expat in UAE for just one year strikes it lucky in Dh100m UAE Lottery

Dubai: What started as casual conversation at a barbecue has turned into a life-changing Dh100,000 windfall for Richard Adam Sosnowski, an expat who has been in the UAE for barely a year.

The Polish-born winner, who grew up in the US and spent years working across Russia on various projects, never imagined his first year in the UAE would bring such fortune.

But a simple chat with friends and a bit of luck have made him one of the latest winners of the UAE Lottery, which offers a grand prize of Dh100 million.

Richard could not quite recall where he first learnt about the UAE Lottery: perhaps a billboard, perhaps online. But one detail caught his attention: the size of the jackpot.

"I think I might have seen some billboard somewhere or something online. I'm not sure. Actually, I was trying to recollect, but cannot pinpoint that," Richard said.

“But I do remember one of our barbecues We were talking about it. We heard the size of the jackpot. Everybody got excited, and a bunch of us bought some tickets.”

The friends’ initial attempts didn't yield immediate results. Some won smaller amounts like Richard winning Dh100, while others nothing at all. But they kept playing. That persistence eventually paid off when Richard secured the Dh100,000 prize.

When Richard first discovered his win, his wife was the first person he informed about it. However, she was not exactly jumping for joy. Her initial reaction was one of caution rather than celebration.

“She was like, oh, it's probably a scam. That's what she said," Richard recalled with a laugh. She also advised him: “Don't tell anybody…don't brag.”

However, Richard revealed: “No, actually, it is not…then I shared with my good friends and family.”

Unlike most players who quickly affirm that they would continue playing in hopes of bagging the Dh100 million grand prize, Richard’s response was more measured when asked if he planned to play again

For now, he is content to savour his unexpected fortune.

"So, will I play again? Probably, I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I kind of want to enjoy the fruit of the victory," he said.