UAE Lottery: 26-year-old security guard and four friends win Dh30 million grand prize

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s Lottery’s first-ever Dh30 million Grand Prize winner Tayab Khan is a 26-year-old Nepalese security guard who will share the prize money with four of his friends, the lottery operator revealed on Monday.

The full name and nationality of the Abu Dhabi resident, who was revealed as the winner of the Lucky Day draw that made history on the first day of Eid Al Adha on April 27,  were first announced on June 2.

Announcing further details of the winner on Monday, the UAE Lottery said: “Four years ago, Tayab Khan left Nepal for the UAE in search of opportunity. Today, the 26-year-old security guard is celebrating a record-breaking AED 30 million win after becoming the latest Grand Prize winner of The UAE Lottery's Lucky Day draw.”

And the win is not his alone. It was also revealed that the Dh30 million prize will be split equally among a group of five close friends who pooled their money, took turns picking numbers, and called themselves the Future Millionaires.

Each of the five friends will walk away with Dh6 million.

It was Tayab's turn to choose the numbers on that life-changing draw and he chose them at random.

He was not watching when the results were announced during the Lucky Day draw on the first day of Eid. He got to know about the life-changing win through an email.

"I had received similar emails before for small prizes, so I didn't think much of it," he recalled. "But when I opened the email and saw Dh30 million, my hands were shaking, my legs were shaking. It felt like a dream. Even now, it's hard to express that feeling in words."

His first reaction, shared through the UAE Lottery, was characteristically simple: "I'm feeling absolutely amazing, like I'm in the sky."

The win is the second Grand Prize in the history of the Lucky Day draw, following the Dh100 million jackpot won in October 2025 by Anilkumar Bolla, a 29-year-old Indian expat also from Abu Dhabi. The draw format was revamped in late 2025, reducing the Grand Prize from Dh100 million to Dh30 million, but twice weekly.

Tayab said he had created a WhatsApp group that would eventually change all five lives and even gave it the name that would prove prophetic.

"I created the group and named it 'Future Millionaires'," he laughed. "After we won, I changed it to 'Millionaires'."

The friends had been playing together steadily, celebrating small wins along the way. Some weeks they matched three numbers, other weeks four, but they never stopped.

Tayab said he had discovered the UAE Lottery in 2024 while scrolling through Facebook. He had watched other winners' stories over the years and held on to the belief that one day it could be his turn.

"I saw other people winning and always hoped that one day I could be a winner too," he said. "We kept participating, kept believing, and eventually that day came."

When it came to choosing numbers, there was no formula.

"Sometimes I use family-related numbers, and sometimes I choose randomly," he said. "This time, I just selected random numbers and submitted the ticket."

The moment the news sank in, Tayab reached for his phone. Not to call a bank or a lawyer, but his uncle in Nepal.

"He's the reason I came here in the first place," said Tayab. "When I told him how much we had won, he was completely speechless. Tears came to his eyes. He couldn't believe it."

His partner, who has stood by him since before he left Nepal, had a similar reaction when she heard the news.

"When I had nothing, she was there," he said about his partner with whom he has been in a relationship since before moving to the UAE.

Crediting her for standing by him through every challenge, he said: "She saw my struggles, my hard work, everything."

He had to show her the winning ticket to make it real. "She was completely speechless."