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Dh5 million UAE Lottery winner shares how family milestones turn lucky
Murugananth and lottery partner were at first sceptical about the win and tried to verify through multiple sources fearing it could be a scam
- PUBLISHED: Thu 26 Feb 2026, 3:21 PM
His engagement date and daughter's birth year turned out to be the luckiest numbers in Murugananth Govinthan's life, helping him secure a Dh5 million prize in the UAE Lottery’s Lucky Day Draw.
The 42-year-old Indian expat said that several of the winning numbers were chosen based on important family milestones. November 7, the day he and his wife got engaged, became one of his selected numbers, while another came from his daughter’s birth year, 2015.
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“In our culture, the engagement date is very important, so I chose the day seven and month eleven,” Murugananth told Khaleej Times. “I also picked 15 because that is my daughter’s birth year. The remaining numbers were selected together with my friend.”
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Murugananth had purchased the ticket jointly with his close friend Baburao, splitting the cost between them. But the life-changing moment unfolded in an unexpected way through a series of missed calls.
The weekly draw is scheduled for 8.30pm on Saturdays, and Murugananth said he waited eagerly for the announcement before stepping out briefly for dinner around 8.20pm. When he returned home about 40 minutes later, he noticed multiple missed calls from his friend.
“I saw five or six missed calls and immediately called him back,” he said. “He told me we had won Dh5 million. At first, I couldn’t process what he was saying.” The news seemed unbelievable.
“I thought he was joking and told him not to make fun of such things,” said Murugananth. Even after logging into his UAE Lottery account and seeing the winning notification, he was still doubtful. “I kept wondering whether the prize money would really come through,” he added.
His wife was equally sceptical and initially feared the message could be fake. The family began searching online for information about previous winners to verify the claim.
“My wife thought it might be a scam. She checked online about last year’s winner,” he said. “Only after I contacted customer care and started receiving official emails asking for documents did we finally believe it was real.”
The emotional moment quickly turned into a celebration. After confirming the win, his friend informed family members back home and even video-called his mother to share the news.
Despite winning a life-changing amount, Murugananth said the prize would not drastically alter his daily routine. He plans to continue working while focusing on long-term stability for his family.
“Money is important, but it is not everything. I will continue working as usual. This will mainly help us meet our needs and create security for our future,” said the man from Kerala.
Financial responsibilities had weighed heavily on him. His father worked as a daily wage labourer and struggled to provide education for the family.
“After marriage, managing children’s education and expenses became difficult,” he said. “We have always lived in rented homes and wanted to build our own house. Now I feel I am moving closer to making those dreams come true.”
The Dh5 million second prize is part of the UAE Lottery’s weekly Lucky Day Draw, held every Saturday at 8.30pm, alongside the Dh30 million grand prize and lucky chance raffle prizes worth Dh100,000 each.
For Murugananth, however, the biggest takeaway remains simple. “I bought just one ticket. Sometimes, luck comes when you least expect it.”
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.
