Dubai: Engin, a Turkish expat who bagged the grand prize in the 81st weekly draw of Mahzooz on June 18, said he was left shaking and speechless by the announcement - and had to write down to convey to his wife that he won a Dh10 million.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, a much calmer Engin, who came wearing a casual white shirt and faded jeans, shared how he and his wife processed the news of the windfall.
“I received a phone call the day after the draw and the person congratulated me and said I won Dh10 million. I was speechless for around two minutes and my entire body was shaking,” Engin said.
“My wife saw me and she got worried so I had to smile at her to comfort her. But no words came out of my mouth so I had to take a pen and paper and write down that I won Dh10 million from Mahzooz,” added the 33-year old civil engineer, who works for a construction company in Dubai.
Engin, who matched five out of five winning numbers (13, 30, 38, 41, 44), continued: “At first we both couldn’t believe it. Were we just dreaming? But it was real that we won.”
Engin said he and his wife are planning to buy an apartment at Palm View Jumeirah. He will continue to work as an engineer in Dubai and he will also give back to society - in particular, he said, he will set up a college scholarship in Turkey.
Fifth multimillionaire
Farid Samji, CEO of Ewings, the operator of Mahzooz, handed a symbolic Dh10 million cheque to Engin. According to Samji, Engin is the fifth winner of the Dh10 million top-tier prize in less than 10 months. He added the Dh10 million prize will be credited in full to Engin’s bank account
Previous Dh10 million winners were a French-Tunisian national, a Filipino and two Indians –including a 47-year-old Indian cook who won the grand prize back in March this year. The biggest winner is still Junaid Rana from Pakistan who previously won the previous Dh50 million grand prize back in October last year.
Samji said: “Mahzooz has been operating for two years now, and we’ve given away around Dh200 million in prizes to over 170,000 people of various nationalities, who won various prizes ranging from Dh350 to top prizes. To date, we have created 23 millionaires in just over two years and I am delighted that we are continually changing peoples’ lives for the better.
How to participate
The top prize of Dh10 million is again up for grabs in the next Mahzooz live draw that will be held on June 25 at 9pm (UAE time). Entrants can participate by registering on Mahzooz app and website, and purchasing a bottle of water for Dh35.
