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Four expats from India have finally been given a chance to pursue their long-held dreams after winning Dh25,000 each in Big Ticket’s third weekly e-draw for April. The winners, who had been trying their luck for some time, described the prize as a boost that could help them move closer to supporting their families and achieving their financial goals.

For Shashidhar Salin, an Indian national from Mumbai, believing he actually won in Big Ticket was not an easy task. At first, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never won before, so I had to double-check the number before it finally sank in," he said.

Salin, who works as a group finance manager in Dubai, said he has not set any major plans yet, but the prize money will go towards important family needs, including school fees. He shared the win with a group of four.

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The 51-year-old who has been living with his family in Dubai for the past 27 years and has been participating in Big Ticket for the last seven years after first hearing about it through local advertisements.

This time, it was his daughter who randomly selected the winning ticket, making the moment even more special.

Another winner was Sujith Edavally, a 36-year-old health and safety engineer from Kerala who has been living in Dubai for the past 16 years, while his family has recently moved back home.

Recalling the moment he learned of his big win, Edavally says, "I purchased the ticket on the night of the 22nd, and the draw took place the very next day.

"I was surprised to receive the winning call so soon. It’s my first time winning, and I was extremely excited. My entire group is very happy as well, especially after so many years of participating together.”

For the past 10 years, he has been purchasing tickets every month with a group of 10 colleagues and it finally paid off. He shared that the group plans to split the cash prize among themselves and will continue purchasing tickets every month.

Shashidhar Salin (R), Sujith Edavally (L)

For Tinu Varghese, a 42-year-old accountant from Kerala, it was also the first time he wins. This is my first time winning, and I was very surprised when I received the call. We’re all extremely happy.” He will share the Dh25,000 with five people. They have been participating in the raffle monthly for five years.

Varghese, who has been living in Sharjah with his family for the past eight years, said that the group usually follow a pattern when selecting their tickets, sometimes they look at previous winning numbers to find similarities, while other times they choose them at random.

Many of the members of the group plan to use their share to support their families or clear existing financial commitments.

The final winner during the e-draw was Ijan CP who said he was thrilled to discover that his Big Ticket purchase had turned into a winning one.

He bought his winning ticket in-store, and he was overjoyed with his win. He shared that he plans on sharing the cash prize with his friends.

'Month of Millionaires'

Big Ticket is offering a grand prize of Dh25 million, giving one participant the opportunity to secure the grand win during the live draw on May 3, as part of transoforming the month of April to a "Month of Millionaires".

During the nexr live draw, five winners will each receive Dh1 million in consolation prizes, bringing the total number of guaranteed millionaires this month to six.

For the month of April, only one weekly e-draw is left, where four winners will each receive Dh25,000. The draw will be streamed live at 11am on Friday, May 1, on the Big Ticket YouTube channel.

Entries to the Dream Car Series are still open, featuring two luxury vehicles. The Land Rover Defender will be drawn on May 3, followed by the Range Rover Velar on June 3.

Tickets are available online at www.bigticket.ae or at counters located in Zayed International Airport, Mohamed Bin Zayed City and Morafiq Mussafah. They can also be purchased from the raffle's new store at Morafiq City Check-In in Al Ain, operating daily from 10am to 10pm.

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