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For Indian expat Kishoresh Rout, winning Dh1 million in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi meant more than just becoming a millionaire overnight; it was a chance for him to prove to his daughter that raffles are not a scam.

Kishoresh shared how his daughter distrusted raffles: "My daughter would always warn me whenever I went to buy a ticket, telling me that these raffle companies are a scam and that I would never win. But I never listened and kept participating."

"This particular ticket, I actually hid from her. So when I found out I had won, the very first person I called was my daughter. We were both overjoyed," he added in comments on his first Big Ticket win. When asked on what he intends to do with the big prize, he said that he will give it to his daughter. "She is getting married and it will go a long way in helping her."

The 60-year-old business owner from Ranchi has been living in the UAE for the past 18 years with his family. Since he frequently travels throught the airport in Abu Dhabi, he came across Big Ticket and read about it online. He only began to participate regularly two years ago.

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Kishoresh Rout

When asked whether he would continue participating in Big Ticket, Kishoresh said, "My daughter has now asked me to buy tickets on her behalf, so I've already purchased four.

"My colleagues have also requested I buy on their behalf, so I told them to form a group, pool their contributions, and I'll put mine in too and buy the ticket, since my luck has proven itself."

Regarding his method in picking his ticket's numbers, he said: "When choosing the winning ticket, I made sure the digits added up to a total of 5. I don't believe in it too much, but it certainly worked for me this time."

Beside Kishoresh, four other expats from India won up to Dh500,000 in Big Ticket Series 287 as part of consolation prizes. Among them are Prakasan Themaliprambil and Parabhuram Yadav who won Dh100,000 each.

Prakasan, who lives in Saudi Arabia, expressed his extreme joy for the prize. A 45-year-old from Rajasthan, Parabhuram, works at a marble company in Sharjah and has been residing in the UAE for the past 20 years. He has been participating in Big Ticket regularly, purchasing his tickets online.

The third winner was Sharad Kumar Singh, a 44-year-old from Uttar Pradesh who works as a software consultant and has been living in the UAE since 2014. He heard about Big Ticket through his friends, two and a half years ago, and has been actively buying tickets monthly since. This is Sharad's first time winning. He follows no particular ritual, simply purchasing four random tickets each time, with the fourth one doing the trick this time around.

Sharad Singh

Recalling the moment he learned about the win, he said, "It was just an ordinary day at work when the call came through, and within 30 seconds, the day wasn't ordinary anymore." When asked about his plans, he said he will invest the prize money in his and his wife's future, as she is currently based in India.

Jinoy Kumar, a 42-year-old from Kerala, has been announced as winner of a whopping Dh500,000. The salesman, who has been living in Sharjah with his family for the past 20 years, has been participating in Big Ticket every month as part of a group of 20 friends, and this is the first time that they have won.

"We have been participating since so long and it feels amazing to finally win. I am so happy for all of us." He has already decided how to spend his portion of the prize, a well-deserved family holiday sometime this year.

Jinoy Kumar

June grand prize

This month, one lucky winner will take home the grand prize of Dh25 million during the live draw on July 3. In addition, five winners will each receive Dh1 million, as a consolation prize.

Throughout the month's weekly e-draws, participants can look forward to weekly e-draws, where four winners will each receive Dh25,000. The weekly e-draws will be streamed live on the Big Ticket YouTube channel at 11 AM.

Two luxury vehicles will also be up for grabs. The BMW X6 will be awarded during the July 3 draw, followed by the Maserati Grecale on August 3.

Weekly e‑draw schedule

Week 2: Wednesday, June 17 for tickets purchased from June 10 to 16

Week 3: Wednesday, June 24 for tickets purchased from June 17 to 23

Week 4: Wednesday, July 1 for tickets purchased from June 24 to 30

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