UAE: Dh300,000 cash prize awarded to 6 lucky winners in Big Ticket
The winners — who are from the UAE, Kuwait and India — have revealed how they received the life-changing news.
Winning after a decade
Zakir Hussain Erattum Vakkatha, a 53-year-old Chief Accounts Manager and Sharjah resident from Kerala, won after nearly a decade of buying into the Big Ticket draw. He has been a regular participant since he heared about it from friends in 2016. He sometimes buys tickets alone and at other times with friends.
He purchased his winning ticket on July 25, 2025. 'I was really surprised when I found out. I was in India at the time, so one of my friends sent me a screenshot from the website to share the news,' he recalled.
Grateful for the win, his first plan is to divide the prize among his friends. However, his journey with Big Ticket is far from over. 'Even when I was coming back from India yesterday, I purchased another ticket,' he said. 'My message to others is simple: keep going, let them knock, and one day the door will open.'
Bigger dreams
Moza Almansoori, a Ministry of Education employee and Emirati citizen born and raised in Abu Dhabi, has been a regular Big Ticket participant, often purchasing five to six tickets at a time, in the hope that one day her turn would come to win.
'It was always my dream to win the grand prize,' she shared. Almansoori purchased her ticket on July 28. She described the moment she found out as one of the greatest surprises of her life. She says she will continue purchasing tickets every month, staying hopeful that one day she will be the grand prize winner.
Changing lives
Bikrama Sahu, a 48-year-old manager from India and UAE resident since 2011, won the prize after purchasing tickets regularly for the last seven to eight years. While his family resides in the UAE, his daughter recently returned to India for university.
He first learned about his win through the website and a confirmation email. 'I couldn't believe that my name was there,' he recalled. Sahu purchases tickets every month, sometimes on his own and sometimes in a group of five to six friends.
"I'm actually on the way to buy tickets today,' he shared with a smile. For him, Big Ticket is more than just a game of luck. 'Big Ticket is changing lives one person at a time,' he said, hopeful that many more will get to experience the joy of winning.
Incredible surprise
Antony Ashok, an Indian expat who will soon turn 50, celebrates his first Big Ticket win after 15 years of trying his luck. He has lived in the UAE for the last 20 years working in the construction industry, while his family is back in India.
Over the years, he has consistently purchased tickets with a group of 40 friends, contributing Dh2,500 to Dh3,000 each time. In the end, his patience and persistence paid off. He described the moment he learned of his win as pure joy. 'I was overjoyed when I found out,' he said, reflecting on the incredible surprise he felt after years of hopeful participation.
Other winners
Kabeer Kazhinkil and Nicholas Paul Varocky purchased their winning tickets on July 7, 2025 and July 30, 2025, respectively, and were overjoyed when they discovered that they were among the winners this month.
August at Big Ticket
There are several prizes to win at Big Ticket in August. Participants have the chance to win the grand prize of Dh15 million, which will be awarded during the live draw on September 3. The same draw will award six additional winners with Dh100,000 each.
Customers who buy two or more cash tickets between August 1 and August 25 will have the chance to be selected to attend the live draw and win cash prizes from Dh50,000 to Dh150,000. The names of the four confirmed participants will be announced on the Big Ticket website on September 1.
August's Dream Car prize is the high-performance BMW M440i, with the lucky winner to be announced on September 3, 2025.
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