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Indian expat wins 24-karat gold bar for second time in Big Ticket draw
He scored a 250-gram bar in October last year and a 200-gram bar in the current edition
- PUBLISHED: Tue 17 Mar 2026, 7:45 PM
An Indian expat from Saudi Arabia recently struck gold twice in Big Ticket's weekly e-draw.
The lucky 35-year-old from Kerala, Lijin Thomas, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for the last 15 years, won a 200-gram gold bar in the first weekly e-draw for the month of March. This comes after the 250-gram bar he won back in October.
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Thomas said that he has been taking part in the draw regularly since hearing about it from a friend. He plans to send the gold bar to his family, who lives back home in India as he works in an oil field in Saudi Arabia.
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This edition of the draw saw three other winners take home the same glittering prize — two more from India and one from the UK.
Former UAE resident
Arun Kannatuu from Kerala used to work in Sharjah before he returned to his hometown. He has been purchasing tickets ever since his time in the UAE.
"At first, I didn’t believe the calls I was receiving, it felt unreal. But once I realized it was genuine, I was extremely happy," said the 64-year-old banker.
Kannatuu has not made any big plans regarding his gold bar yet and just intends to keep it for now.
Collective win
Shajil Sulaiman, also originally from Kerala, now lives in Qatar, and has done so for the past 18 years. He has been participating in draws with a group of 10 people ever since he heard of Big Ticket back in 2020.
"This win doesn’t belong to just me, it belongs to the entire group. It means a lot to all of us," he said. The group plans to discuss how to use the gold bar they collectively won together.
Surprise call
John Gimblett hails from the UK and has been living in Dubai for the past 11 years. He participates in the draws every month.
“I actually ignored a few calls at first, thinking they were marketing calls. When I finally picked up, it was such a surprise!”
Gimblett too intends to hold onto his prize for now.
Grand prize, more gold bars, dream cars
Big Ticket has announced its latest promotion, in which a lucky winner can get a grand prize of Dh20 million, set to be awarded during the live draw on April 3. In addition to this, five participants will each win a 200 gram, 24-karat gold bar.
Two weekly e-draws remain, with four winners each receiving a 200-gram, 24-karat gold bar. The winners’ names will be announced on the Big Ticket website.
Customers who purchase two or more Big Ticket entries in a single transaction between March 1 and March 24 can be selected to attend the April 3 live draw. Four confirmed participants will compete for guaranteed cash prizes ranging from Dh50,000 to Dh150,000, with their names to be announced on the Big Ticket website on April 1.
The Dream Car Series continues as well, featuring a Maserati Grecale draw on April 3, followed by a Land Rover Defender draw scheduled for May 3.
Tickets are available online at www.bigticket.ae or at counters located in Zayed International Airport, Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Morafiq Mussafah and Al Ain Airport.
