UAE: Big Ticket winner yet to claim prize

Abu Dhabi: An Emirati woman, who was announced as the winner of a 24-karat gold bar in Big Ticket’s daily e-draw last year, has yet to claim her prize.

Although the organisers managed to contact Budoor Alkhaaldi after a lengthy pursuit, she has still not collected the gold prize, organisers said.

Big Ticket, established in 1992, is the largest and longest-running raffle draw in the region. Offering the chance to win millions in cash prizes, luxury cars, gold bars, and more, its draws are among the most highly anticipated and have transformed the lives of thousands of individuals both in the country and abroad.

A Big Ticket spokesperson told Gulf News that while every cash prize and luxury car has been claimed to date, this is the only instance where a winner has yet to collect the prize.

“We have never had a situation where a winner didn’t claim their prize. It has never happened in Big Ticket before. However, sometimes when winners are on vacation, they don’t respond on time. Some of them have their phones switched off, and they don’t check their emails, causing delays in hearing back from them,” a spokesperson said.

Budoor, with ticket number 396502, was picked as the lucky winner of a 24-karat gold bar weighing 250 grams on November 22 last year.

“Budoor Alkhaaldi won one of the daily prizes – 24 karat gold bar. But we couldn’t reach her. She wasn’t responding to our calls, and the team kept trying for almost four months and managed to contact her and inform her about her win.”

Nevertheless, Big Ticket staff are still awaiting Budoor’s arrival at their office to claim her prize.

“Her prize is waiting for her to claim it,” the spokesperson underlined.

According to Big Ticket, any gold prize winner must visit Big Ticket office in Abu Dhabi to claim a gold prize letter, which allows the winner to collect the gold from the designated gold store in Abu Dhabi.

“Big Ticket does not offer any cash alternatives to the gold prize winner. The gold letter will be handed over to the winner in the Big Ticket office in Abu Dhabi only.”

If the winner is unable to come to the office, they may assign another person of their choice to collect the prize on their behalf.

“The winner will have to submit the necessary documents requested by Big Ticket. The gold prize will be handed over to the winner at the designated gold store in Abu Dhabi only.”

In the event that the winner cannot visit the designated gold store, they may assign a representative as well.

“The winner will have to submit the necessary documents requested by the gold store. If the gold prize winner fails to do so, the prize will be irrevocably forfeited.”

According to Big Ticket rules and regulations, winners must collect their prize within six months from the draw date, or they will lose their right to the prize.

“If the winner fails to do so, the prize will be irrevocably forfeited. Any unclaimed prizes will not be added to future draws,” Big Ticket added.