UAE: 'Last' $2.72mln Big Ticket draw winner says Ramadan brought him luck

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Ramesh Kannan, an Indian expat living in Qatar, hit the jackpot of Dh10 million in the last Big Ticket live draw series 262 in Abu Dhabi. A mechanical technician, Ramesh has called Qatar home for the past 15 years.

He got lucky with ticket number 056845, purchased online on March 29 during a buy-two-get-one-free promotion. He bought this ticket along with 10 of his friends.

During the live show, hosts Richard and Bouchra were initially unable to reach him. Ramesh was overjoyed when he finally heard the big news.

“Every month, I hoped and prayed that I’d win. Last month, I was only one number from winning the grand prize. I had the same sequence of numbers except for one single digit. Still, I knew that one day I would win.”

Ramesh considers himself blessed to have won in the holy month. “Allah brought me this stroke of luck during the holy month of Ramadan. I am truly blessed.”

Asked about his reasons for participating in the Big Ticket raffle draw, the first-time winner said he plans to build his own home for his family in India.

“I am currently renting out in India and would like to build a house for the family. I can finally build our dream home, where my wife, sister, and parents can live,” Ramesh underlined.

‘Hope for positive news’

Big Ticket, the longest-running raffle draw in the region, is temporarily pausing its operations in compliance with the new directives of the Gaming Regulatory Authority in the UAE.

“Big Ticket is temporarily pausing the sale of tickets. We hope it’s for a short time. Keep following our official social media pages for updates,” Richard noted. “Hopefully, we will have positive news soon.”

The sale of tickets for the next draw has been halted since April 1. Also, Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport stores have been temporarily closed. Certain facilities on the official website, like ticket purchase, account login, and account registration, have been disabled until further notice.