Three Indian expats from Kerala in UAE and Omani win 200g gold in Big Ticket draw

Abu Dhabi: Three Indian expats from Kerala have each won a 24-karat gold bar weighing 200g in the final weekly e-draw of October held by Big Ticket Abu Dhabi. An Omani businessman is the fourth winner.

The Keralites, who have worked in the UAE for several years, include supervisor, an advertising professional and a school bus driver, Big Ticket said on Monday.

Rajesh Gopalan, Anish Raveendradas and Muhammed Ashraf Mundakai Samsu live in Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai and Sharjah respectively. They were joined by Yousuf Hamed Mohammed Al Naabi from Oman.

The gold bars are valued at approximately Dh95,000 at current market rates.

Here is how each of the four struck gold.

Rajesh, 52, is a supervisor who has lived in Ras Al Khaimah with his family for over 30 years. He had heard about Big Ticket through social media and colleagues, but only recently decided to try his luck for the first time.

He bought the ticket with his cousin, and his family helped pick the number. As luck would have it, the ticket chosen by his wife turned out to be the winner.

When the winning call came, Rajesh was caught completely off guard. “I couldn’t believe my luck! Imagine winning on your very first try,” he said.

He was so shocked that he could barely process the news, and he laughed as he admitted he does not remember what he said during the conversation.

Rajesh plans to share the prize with his cousin. “For now, we’re just really happy with our win. We’ll take some time to enjoy this moment before deciding when to participate again,” he added.

Anish, 44, is an advertising professional from Kerala who has lived in Dubai for 18 years, while his family lives back home. He has taken part in Big Ticket over the years and regularly buys tickets with a group of 10 friends.

For this entry, the group used Big Ticket’s promotion, buying two tickets and receiving four additional ones. One of his friends picked the winning number, based on his eldest son’s date of birth.

The whole group was thrilled when the news arrived. “We were all so excited and happy when we found out that we had won,” Anish said.

They plan to cash in their prize and divide the winnings equally. Anish intends to put his share towards paying off his housing loan back home. “This win will really help me financially, especially with clearing my housing loan. We’re all very happy and will continue participating in Big Ticket together,” he added.

Muhammed, 38, is a school bus driver from Kerala who has lived in Sharjah with his family for 14 years. He began playing Big Ticket three years ago and has kept trying his luck with a group of six friends.

This time, the group chose their ticket number entirely at random, and it turned out to be a winner. “It was an amazing feeling when I found out that we had won. I was really happy, and it’s even more special knowing that I get to share this moment with my friends,” he said.

The friends plan to divide the prize among themselves. “We’re all very happy with the win, and it’s wonderful that we can share the prize together,” Muhammed added.

Yousuf, a 49-year-old businessman from Oman, has known about Big Ticket for many years and has been buying tickets for the past five to six years. He plays on his own, often buying between 10 and 15 tickets at a time whenever he travels.

For his latest entry, he also selected his winning number entirely at random.

“I’m very happy to have won. I’ve been participating for several years, so it’s a wonderful feeling to receive this good news,” he said.

Yousuf has not yet decided how he will use his prize, but he plans to keep playing. “I haven’t made any plans for the prize just yet, but I’ll definitely continue buying tickets and trying my luck again,” he added.