Four Indians from Kerala won Dh25,000 each in Big Ticket’s first weekly e-draw in June, with the winners currently residing in the UAE, Qatar and the UK, Khaleej Times reported.Winners in the latest round include two UAE residents, one Qatari resident and one UK resident, who all received cash prizes through the Abu Dhabi lottery.One of the winners, Afthab Kodakkdan, a 51-year-old businessman who has lived in Doha with his family since 2006, said he first encountered Big Ticket while traveling at the airport. He later went ahead and bought the ticket after hearing about it from friends and seeing it on social media.Aftab, who has been buying tickets on and off for the past three years, said his children are usually responsible for choosing the ticket numbers.“When I got the call, I initially thought it was a prank. When I realized it was real, excitement and happiness slowly started to wash over me,” he said.Another winner is Subairabdu Subair, 44, who works in a supermarket and has lived with his family in Ras Al Khaimah for 13 years. Although he often participates in individual and group buying activities, the winning ticket was purchased by himself.“I really didn’t see this coming,” he said after learning of his win.The third winner is 26-year-old Safna Pothengal Kader, who lives in Al Ain and has participated in Big Ticket events for many years as one of the 21 members. It was the first win for the group.“I’m so happy, it feels so good to win,” she said.The fourth winner, Aneesh Abraham, is a 30-year-old hospitality professional from Kerala who has been living in the UK for the past year while his family remains in India.He said he usually buys his tickets during a stopover in Abu Dhabi or online when visiting India.“When I got the call, I was actually asleep because of the time difference. I was very excited when I got the news,” he said, noting that the winning numbers were chosen at random.Organizers also confirmed that three more weekly electronic draws will be held this month, with four winners receiving AED 25,000 each.
