Indian expat who won Dh5m UAE Lottery not to quit Dubai job

Dubai: An Indian expat who won the first Dh5 million prize in the UAE Lottery has revealed his profession and his dreams post the windfall that he is going to share with a friend.

In an exclusive interview, Murugananth Govinthan, 43, told Gulf News he has no intention of quitting his job and his first dream is not a luxury car or a villa, but a modest house back in his hometown and a small business in the UAE.

Hailing from Kanniyakumari district in south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, he arrived in Dubai on May 25, 2025 after securing a job offer. He went to work the very next day. Just nine months later, a Dh50 ticket bought with a colleague changed everything and yet, very little about who he is.

"Money is important, but if we build our life properly, money is not everything. I will mainly use it to fulfil our basic needs and create stability for my family,” said Murugananth.

His story begins with hardship. His father is a daily wage worker who sacrificed enormously to put his son through school. "I grew up learning from hardship when I was a child. After marriage, our children's education and expenses became difficult to manage. We still live in a rented house, and we wanted to build our own home."

His wife is a private school teacher back in India. They have a daughter and a son. Living alone in Dubai while his family remains in Tamil Nadu has been the hardest part of the last nine months.

"In India, after work I used to be with my family, my wife and children. It was a good life. However, because of commitments, I had to leave my family and come here. I live alone here, but every day, I speak to my family and make video calls," he said.

Now, he plans to change that. "Now that I have finally won, I want to bring my family here. I will continue to work in the UAE and will stay here."

As he revealed earlier, the winning ticket was not bought alone. Murugananth and his colleague and close friend Baburao had an arrangement. They split the cost of one Dh50 ticket every week and agreed from the start that any winnings would be shared equally.

Murugananth said he was motivated to buy tickets after watching a video of the UAE Lottery's Dh100 million winners.

But Lady Luck smiled on when, for the very first time, he registered on the UAE Lottery platform using his own account and bought a ticket for February 14. "This was the first time I logged in with my own ID and bought a ticket, and that's when I got selected as a winner," he said.

When it came to picking his numbers, Murugananth turned to some of the dates that mattered most to him. His engagement date falls on the 7th of November, so 7 and 11 made the cut. His daughter was born in 2015, so 15 followed.

The remaining three numbers were chosen by Baburao, and the pair debated right down to the final digit, settling on 6 over 3. It is a decision that paid off handsomely, but one that also left a lingering sting. "If we had chosen 3, we could have won 30 million," Murugananth said.

Their six winning numbers — 11, 19, 28, 15, 31 and 7 — matched all six in the 'Days' section of Lucky Day draw number 260214, held on Saturday, 14 February, earning them the first-ever Dh5 million second prize in UAE Lottery’s new format.

It was Baburao who first spotted the win. "They said the winner selection would be announced around 8.30pm on Saturday. I waited until 8.20pm, then went out to eat. I came back around 9pm When I returned, I saw my friend had called. There were 5–6 missed calls. I called him back immediately. He told me we won five million. At first, I thought he was just messing around, and I told him not to joke. Then I logged into my account and saw the message: 'Congratulations, you are a winner of five million!'"

Even after seeing the message on screen, the reality took time to sink in. His wife's first instinct was caution.

"My wife initially thought it might be a scam. She searched on Google to find out more information about last year's winner. After I reached out to customer care, I started to receive emails requesting additional documents. Then she started to believe that we actually won," he said.

When Baburao found out, he immediately video-called his mother to share the news. "She also spoke to me and thanked me," Murugananth said.

Ask Murugananth what he plans to do with his share of the Dh5 million and the answer is simple and humble.

"I have some debts, so I want to settle those. I want to build a small house in my hometown. We have always been living in rented houses. We want to keep our belongings and finally sleep in a home of our own. This is something we truly want to fulfil," he said.

Beyond that, he hopes his wife can find a teaching position in Dubai so the family can be together. He also has ambitions to start a small business and invest in the UAE. "Even though my father suffered a lot, I feel I can fulfil what he couldn't. I consider this a big blessing from God… I am incredibly happy now," he said.

Despite the win, Murugananth and Baburao have not stepped away from the lottery. "Today, I added money to the wallet, and we bought the same ticket together using my account details. My friend and I plan to continue playing every week," he said.

His advice to others is: "Everyone should buy this ticket, because if one day you want to win, this is how it happens. Like me, I bought a Dh50 ticket, and I got a chance. If people keep playing, one day the result will come."

He ends with a note of gratitude, not just for the prize, but for the possibility it represents.

"This is a very big prize that will help me change my life. I will forever remember The UAE Lottery and I will always have that gratitude."

The UAE Lottery, operated by Game LLC and regulated by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), holds its Lucky Day Draw every Saturday at 8.30pm. The draw features a Dh30 million grand prize and a Dh5 million second prize, alongside the weekly Lucky Chance Raffle awarding three winners Dh100,000 each.