Sacrificed Dh4 tea to win Dh1 million: Dubai expat pools money with friends to bag UAE Lottery
A Dubai-based Indian expat aged 33, Ananth Perumalsamy gave up a couple of his tea cups for lottery tickets and struck luck, winning 1 million Dirhams in the UAE lottery.
Tea is an integral part of Ananth's daily routine. He said, "It's like an hourly beverage for us," referring to the drinks they have in Tamil Nadu.
Living in Dubai since 2017, he works as an accountant in a private firm. Originally from Sivakasi in southern India, he confided that it never crossed his mind that a tiny compromise of sorts would provide such immense benefits.
“I remember being at work when an office friend told me about the new lottery starting in the UAE. The Lottery sounded exciting and we decided to pitch in for a ticket so I thought, why not,” said Ananth, recalling how he found out about the UAE lottery in November 2022.
This group of colleagues and friends worked together and unofficially formed a group of 12 that shared a similar financial background. “Buying a ticket alone every time would go over our budget. So we decided to pool in Dh8 each fortnight to buy two tickets. Each ticket costs Dh50," he explained. “That I only spend Dh16 a month summers means I effectively giving up 12 to 16 cups of tea.”
The group has participated in every single draw since the first edition and their participation finally paid off when one of their tickets won them a million dirham prize.
“Every result day, I check the app at 9pm. That day, after the live show, I opened the app before sleeping. I just wanted to check one last time. When I saw we had won, I was shocked. I didn’t sleep that night, or the next.”
“I was convinced that they had accepted it. Most of the group members had gone to bed so early, that i told them i'm going to bed now but sharing this so you sleep with this thought.”
The 12 former group members can each expect a payout wagered between Dh85,000 and Dh100,000.
Ananth isn't complaining about the surprise windfall just a month before his wedding. “I’ll be using my share for the wedding. I've always dreamed of having a car and driving across Dubai — that will now be a reality. I already have my driving license, so everything is falling into place,” he said.
Each group member harbors different dreams: “Some want to construct a family house, while others want to fund their children’s education, pay off debts, or even set up a small business,” the speaker shared.
Bala Murugan, Ananth's teammate and friend who has been living in Dubai for 20 years, also shared in the win. “This is my earnings, and am going to build of a house,” he remarked. “I'm not joking, we couldn't sleep that night, we were all busy making plans what to do with the cash. Never have I felt this happiness in Dubai.”
So they haven't celebrated yet, but it is surely in the plans. As Ananth explained, “We will find a good restaurant and enjoy a nice meal together to mark the occasion.”
“It’s mostly random in picking numbers,” Ananth said. “Sometimes, some of us in the group make suggestions and if any of our friends’ birthdays fall within that month, we frequently use that as the month selection. It’s a fun little tradition we’ve kept since the beginning.”
Both men laughed when asked what they would do if they had come across the Dh100 million jackpot. “Our brains can’t even process that amount,” Ananth remarked. “That type of wealth would be more than enough for many generations.”
Even though the Dh100 million grand prize is still unclaimed, participants still await these astounding results.
Comments