Ajman-based Indian father of two wins $1m from Dubai Duty Free draw
Dubai Duty Free has announced the winner of its 500th Millennium Millionaire draw, marking a significant milestone for the long-running promotion that has transformed lives for over 25 years.
The celebratory draw took place in Concourse B at Dubai International Airport and was attended by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Duty Free. His Highness joined the Dubai Duty Free Executive team led by Managing Director, Ramesh Cidambi, to conduct the draw and announce the lucky winner.
Venugopal Mullacheri, a 52-year-old Indian national based in Ajman became the 500th winner of $1 million, in Millennium Millionaire Series 500 with ticket number 1163 which he purchased in Terminal 2 Arrivals shop on April 23.
A Dubai Duty Free employee show the lucky number of the Millennium Millionaire promotion.
A resident of Ajman for more than a decade, Mullacheri watched the live draw on Dubai Duty Free's official Facebook page and was ecstatic to hear his name announced.
A regular participant in the Dubai Duty Free's promotion for over 15 years, Mullacheri is a father of two and works as an IT support for a company in Ajman.
Commenting on his win, Mullacheri said, 'I'm delighted to become the 500th winner of the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire. As a long-time participant in this popular promotion, I'm thrilled to finally be one of the many winners it has created. Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free.'
Mullacheri, who hails from Kerala is the 249th Indian national to have won $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since 1999, with Indian nationals being by far the biggest purchasers of tickets.
Commenting on the 500th series draw, Dubai Duty Free's Ramesh Cidambi said, 'Our sincere thanks to our Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum for joining us for this milestone Millennium Millionaire draw here today. The very first draw was made during the Dubai Airshow back in November 1999 and over the years this promotion has changed people's lives. Congratulations to Mullacheri, our 500th $1 million winner and to all of our many winners over the years.'
Also present at the draw were Salah Tahlak, Deputy Managing Director, Sinead El Sibai, SVP – Marketing, Mona Al Ali, SVP – HR, Michael Schmidt, SVP – Retail and Zayed Al Shebli, SVP – Loss Prevention & Corporate Security.
Tickets for the milestone series were sold out in 7 days after it went live on April 21 — significantly faster than the average 20-day sales cycle of a regular Millennium Millionaire series. 37% of the tickets were sold out in the first 12 hours. Participants in the Series 500 represent 123 nationalities, with the top three being Indian, British and Pakistani.
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