Reynaldo Herboso, a 61-year-old baker in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), became the winner of the Big Ticket jackpot, worth 20 million dirham (approximately 5,4 million USD), on 3/8.
Herboso has lived and worked in the UAE since 1988. He and his nine friends, all immigrants from the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh, have pooled money to buy lottery tickets since 2011.
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A presenter during a lottery draw in the UAE. *Photo: Big Ticket* |
The Bangladeshi member of the group selected the lucky numbers for everyone, while Herboso was the one who bought the tickets on behalf of the group. Following the win, each member of the group will receive 2 million dirham (over 544,000 USD).
"Immediately after learning of the win, I was overjoyed and excited. It's almost unbelievable that after all these years, the group finally won the jackpot", he said.
The Filipino man has not yet decided how to use his prize money and wants to take time to consider his options carefully before making a choice. Herboso does not rule out continuing to buy Big Ticket in the future, hoping for luck to smile upon him a second time.
"My advice is simple: Keep trying your luck. You never know when your time will come", he said.
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Reynaldo Herboso, 61 years old, became the winner of the Big Ticket jackpot on 3/8. *Photo: Gulf News* |
During the same draw, Ash Bahadur Dura, a 47-year-old resident of Nepalese nationality, also won a Maserati Grecale car. Dura has participated in Big Ticket for over 10 years and chose the winning ticket completely at random.
"I am very, very happy. I truly cannot describe my emotions right now. After many years of participating, the call announcing the win is an unforgettable moment", he shared.
Established in 1992 with an initial top prize of one million dirham, Big Ticket is now one of the most popular monthly lottery draws in the UAE. Tickets for the Big Ticket Millionaire draw cost 500 dirham and are available online, as well as at counters at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.
By Thanh Danh (Source: *National News*, *Gulf News*)
