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19 Bangladeshis and one Indian expatriate have been buying plane tickets for the past 9 years, but were lucky until New Year’s week
Twenty expatriates earning between Dh1,000 and Dh3,000 have won Dh35 million in Abu Dhabi’s Grand Lottery draw, the biggest prize ever.
The 19 Bangladeshis and one Indian expatriate had been buying raffle tickets for the past nine years but were not lucky until this week of the New Year. They are daily wage workers, drivers, painters, helpers and other odd jobs who are saving money every month, donating what they can to pay for tickets.
Mohammed Rayful, a pickup truck and family taxi driver who bought the winning lottery ticket on Dec. 10, said the group was excited and trying to bask in the fact that they were now millionaires.
“We all come from less privileged backgrounds. We all want to make a living here. Most of us earn between Dh1,000 and Dh3,000. All are facing financial constraints and have been hoping things will improve ,” Rayful said on the phone from Al Ain.
The 39-year-old was driving through the market area when Big Ticket hosts Richard and Bouchra tried unsuccessfully to call him. “I was driving and couldn’t attend. But a panelist was watching the live show and informed me. I couldn’t believe it. So, I checked the live show and found the number that matched the number on my ticket. That It’s a happy moment,” said Rayful, who earns between Dh2,000 and Dh3,000 a month.
Others on the team such as Mohammed Aftab, Mahabub, Mohammed Rubel and Toyeb were ecstatic about the windfall at the beginning of the year.
“It’s a good start to 2023. Our future is secure now. We’ve been working hard and investing money over the years. Depending on our capacity, some will contribute more, maybe Dh150 or Dh200, while others Will donate Dh25 or Dh50. This time, our contribution also varies,” they said.
This group of people who got rich overnight have not yet figured out how to deal with the money in the future. Today they all returned to their normal jobs.
“Some say we have won 1 billion BDT. Our lives are settled but we will continue to work as usual. We will decide what to do with the money in the next few days. This is the blessing of God and the result of everyone’s prayers . We must remain humble and help other fellow citizens in need,” they said. “We will continue to buy Big Ticket,” Rayful added.
People can pay Dh23 million to buy tickets to next month’s draw, which will be held on February 3. There is also a weekly 1kg gold electronic draw. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bigticket.ae or at the in-store counters at Abu Dhabi International Airport or Al Ain Airport.
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