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Dubai expat wins Dh25,000 after buying 'lucky' entry with birth date in Big Ticket
KhaleejTimes | June 23, 2026 2:39 AM CST

Big Ticket announced its latest winners for the second weekly e-draw in June, which saw four participants take home Dh25,000 each.

Among them was 50-year-old Vijay Menezes, an Indian resident who has been living in Dubai since 1998. Hailing from Mangalore, Vijay works at Dubai Islamic Bank and has been purchasing tickets since the past three years.

He has a personal ritual when it comes to selecting tickets, always making sure one of his family members' birthday dates are included in the number. This time it was the number 12, his own birthday, that turned out to be the lucky one.

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Recalling the moment, he said, "Richard called me and I already had an idea of what it was about from what I had seen online. It was a really nice feeling, I was genuinely excited to receive this."

He plans to use the prize money for a family trip planned for August, saying it has come at just the right time.

Vijay Menezes

Another winner was Mohammed Nasim Jalal, a Bangladeshi photographer who has been living in the UAE since 2007 while his family remains back home. Having known about Big Ticket for many years, he has been participating regularly and purchasing tickets independently.

Speaking about his plans for the prize, Mohammed said, “I plan to invest the money and grow it further. I also intend to continue participating in Big Ticket and would encourage others to take a chance and trust the process.”

Mohammed Nasim Jalal

The third winner of the special prize was 28-year-old telecommunications assistant Varun Bharadwaj. Varun, who hails from Haryana, India, moved to Dubai a year ago while his family remains back home. He first heard about the draw through his colleagues and has since purchased tickets four times.

When the winning call came through, he was in the middle of his shift at work. "It was really great to hear. I was not expecting it at all," he said. "I couldn't show too much excitement in that moment, but I was really happy on the inside."

He plans to use the prize money to clear his debts and invest in his future.

The youngest winner was 21-year-old Advaith Suresh Nair from Kerala who moved to Dubai last September to pursue his MBA. He first heard about the draw through friends and decided to try his luck for the very first time.

Advaith purchased two tickets and received four complimentary tickets as part of the promotion, selecting his entries at random. To his surprise, one of those tickets turned out to be the winning ticket. He was in the middle of completing an assignment when he received the call.

Recalling the moment, Advaith said he felt like he was “on cloud nine” when he learned about his win. “I was working on an assignment when the call came through, and it completely changed my day,” he shared.

With his parents currently residing in Bahrain, Advaith plans to use the prize money to help finance the remainder of his studies.

Prizes in store this month

This month, one 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.

Two weekly e-draws remain, where four winners will each receive Dh25,000. Customers who purchase one Big Ticket anytime during June will also be entered into The Big Spin. Three participants will be selected during the July 3 live draw and will go on to play the game on August 3, where each participant could win up to Dh1 million cash prize.

The Dream Car promotion also continues this summer, with two luxury vehicles up for grabs. The BMW X6 will be awarded during the July 3 draw, followed by the Maserati Grecale on August 3.

How daughter's 'lucky' ticket helped Dubai expat win Dh25,000 with Big Ticket 'Alhamdulillah': 4 UAE, Qatar residents win Dh100,000 in Big Ticket draw Big Ticket: Winner of Dh1 million plans to give it to daughter who distrusted raffles


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