UAE: Newlywed Indian expat almost missed his Dh77,777 Emirates Draw prize money

Kunal Naik has been trying his luck to win the Emirates raffle draw for a long time, and had it not been for a phone call from a representative, the newlywed would have never known he was among seven other winners who won Dh77,777 each.

His congratulatory email got sorted into his junk folder, and he had no idea he got lucky the third time.

“It’s hard to describe how happy I am that I won Dh77,777, especially since I tried a couple of times before but hadn’t won anything, so I guess the third time’s the charm,” the 30-year-old Dubai-based Indian expatriate said, smiling.

Kunal, who works in accounting, added, “Thanks to Emirates Draw for giving me this amazing opportunity. I want to use part of the money to help my parents since my father’s retiring this year, and they’re moving back to India. I’m unsure what to do with the remaining amount, but my wife’s encouraging me to use it for a long overdue holiday to the USA.”

For Ashfaq Mir Rahman, several excited messages from his friends tipped him off that he had won Dh77,777 with Emirates Draw. Stunned, he rushed to check whether the news was true. Once it was confirmed, the Indian expatriate was filled with joy at having his life transformed by the socially responsible organisation.

“My friends were watching the last draw, and when they saw my name on the screen, they immediately texted to congratulate me. It was a shock for me, especially since I’ve only won once since I started participating nine months ago when Emirates Draw officially launched. That amount was Dh77 so winning Dh77,777 is a definite upgrade,” Ashfaq said, laughing.

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The 45-year-old, who works in bank operations, shared that he plans to use his winnings to pay down his debts as well as donate a portion to charity.

Emirates Draw has distributed over Dh27 million in prize money to over 19,000 participants to date, including Dh695,338 to 394 winning participants in its latest draw round, where nearly 10% of all participants became instant winners by matching the first number from the right to receive Dh7.

Along with the seven guaranteed raffle winners, each receiving Dh77,777 in the draw portion, 1 participant matched 5 of 7 digits and won Dh77,777 in the raffle portion.

Additionally, 3 participants matched 4 of 7 digits and won Dh7,777, and 29 participants matched 3 out of 7 digits to win Dh777 each. Finally, 354 participants matched 2 out of 7, and each won Dh77.

• UAE