For the 18 millionaires that Mahzooz weekly live draw has made, it's a question that’s no longer conjecture but solid reality.
Mahzooz, which means 'fortunate' or 'lucky' in Arabic, is the GCC's first weekly live draw, and true to its name, the draw has been transforming thousands of participants’ wishful thinking into windfalls since it first launched 11 months ago.
To date, a total of AED 110,542,945 have been given away in prize money to 129,905 winners from every corner of the world – participants belonging to 177 nationalities spread out across 122 countries have participated in Mahzooz.
And participation is a breeze, coupled with a feel-good charitable factor too: all you have to do is visit www.mahzooz.ae and buy a bottle of water for AED 35, which will be donated and channelled through Mahzooz's community partners to hydrate those in need. Your purchase will qualify you for a line in the Grand Draw where you stand a chance to win AED 10 million. It also automatically enters you into the Raffle Draw where three guaranteed winners take home AED 100,000 each, every single week. That’s two chances in a week for your dreams to be shaped into reality.
Those realities have ranged from supporting families and educating offspring to doing charity and getting married. The lucky winners share their stories.
Wei Wei, the Chinese expat who was Mahzooz’s first ever millionaire vouches for Mahzooz’s ability to be a lifeline during tough times: "We are so happy that we can also help my family in China after the year they had due to COVID-19," said Wei Wei. Fulfilling family needs through Mahzooz winnings was prime most too for Lebanese mathematician Abu Ali, Mahzooz’s third millionaire. His winnings were a means to secure his children’s future.
For certain Mahzooz millionaires, their sudden riches inspired them to pay it forward. Indian national Antony, who resides in Oman is an example of one such millionaire. "I am a good man and I plan to do good with this money, both for my family and for my community," said Antony. "I have some bank loans I want to close but after that, I want to give money to people back in India," he added.
The variety in nationality and age of Mahzooz's millionaires goes to show that luck treats everyone equally. Bassem, a Dubai-based Lebanese businessman, and Mahzooz’s fifth millionaire encountered luck in his 67th year. "I came to the UAE in 1976 when I was 21," said Bassem. "The last year though has been difficult for my company because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with this money, I’ll be able to turn things around."
Sultan, an Emirati national who’s three decades younger than Bassem, was bestowed with a millionaire status at the age of 30. "I would like to thank Mahzooz for this opportunity, I will continue participating, and for anyone else participating I say: good luck and keep on trying," said Sultan.
While age and nationality might divide participants, their sense of gratitude and excitement is unanimous.
"Thank you to Mahzooz for changing my life and making my dreams come true," said Syam, a 47-year-old Indian expat who became a millionaire in the same draw that Sultan did.
But the intensity of the excitement that Roland, a Filipino delivery driver from Abu Dhabi and Wissam, a Lebanese dad of two felt when they discovered they had become millionaires rendered both 38-year-olds sleepless. "I was so excited that I couldn't sleep. I always knew my lucky day would come and when it came, I couldn’t believe it," said Roland.
Wissam had a similar experience: "When I saw it was a million, I was shocked. I started screaming to my wife that we won, and I couldn’t sleep that whole night," said the dad of two.
It goes to show that while you need to sleep to dream, it’s participating in Mahzooz that makes those dreams come true.