Dubai: Gold does not seem to attract Gulf News mega draw winner who plans to encash his gold vouchers and head for Las Vegas.
Sumit Sudhanan, a first-time subscriber won Dh500,000 in the subscriptions promotion which ended last month. "This is great," said the electrical engineer who arrived in Dubai for work two years ago. "Not bad," he added, about his winnings.
"Maybe I will take a life-time subcripition [to Gulf News]," said the Indian expatriate who is single. His name came in the grand raffle and he is entitled to purchase gold at Joyalukkas. But the bachelor has other plans for his windfall and wants to take his winning to the US city of Las Vegas and get another type of rush.
Caught unawares
Sudhanan was not aware that his name was going into a raffle when he took the subscription for the paper. The subscription promo ran for five months starting in September last year.
Sudhanan said he loves to read sports pages of Gulf News and Wheels magazine.
The new subscribers also had a chance of winning Dh15,000 every week, or Dh25,000 and Dh100,000 every month. Those who won still had a chance at the big prize of Dh500,000.
Besides Gulf News, in collaboration with Etihad airlines, gave away 80,000 air miles to four people every week. Many of the earlier winners, many of them from the subcontinent, took the gold either for their wives or for their daughters.
An earlier winner, Aadil Ameen, who won Dh 15,000, in a gold voucher, said he does not keep track of the price of gold. "Ask me what the petrol price is and I will tell you," he had said.
The Indian expatriate said he had subscribed to Gulf News for the first time in his 11 years' stay in Dubai. "I always read it in the office, but I wanted the paper for home." He said he was unaware that his name would go in the lucky draw.
According to a promotions executive, there were 15 winners who won Dh15,000; three winners of Dh100,000 and three winners of Dh25,000 each.
"In all we gave away over a million in gold," he said. The promotion drive netted 99 winners in all, including those who won air miles.
Incidentally, the price of gold is rising steadily.
