Pakistani delivery boy wins Dhs77,777 in raffle draw, to start his own restaurant

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Shahreen Ahmad’s dream of opening a restaurant is one step closer after the first-time Emirates Draw participant received Dhs77,777 in winnings during the latest raffle draw livestream, which took place on Sunday, March 27.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw my name on the screen. It was such a happy and exciting moment for me. I called my wife back home to tell her that I had won, and she told me to take my winnings and come home,” Shahreen, a 26-year-old Pakistani expatriate, said laughing.

Ahmad, who works as a delivery boy in Dubai, revealed that he decided to purchase a ticket on the spur of the moment from an authorised retail store in Al Barsha.

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“I was inspired by the stories of other winners so I thought that I would participate too since I want to start my own restaurant. I bought my ticket and decided to choose random numbers,” he said.

The feeling of joy hasn’t lessened even as Shahreen began considering how to best use his winnings.

“The first thing I want to do is take a vacation to see my family. I’m also going to set aside some money for my children’s education and then I’m using the remaining amount for my restaurant,” the father of two explained, revealing that he was inspired by what he saw and experienced while working at a restaurant in a previous job.

Ahmad also shared that he plans to continue participating with Emirates Draw: “My life changed with just Dhs50, which inspired me to keep trying every week. Hopefully, I might win again in the future.”

To date, over Dhs21 million has been presented in prize money to over 15,000 winners since the organisation’s inception in September 2021. The unique structure of Emirates Draw distinguishes it from other draws in that the grand prize remains at Dhs100 million until a single person or a group of people match all seven numbers at which point the grand prize resets to Dhs77,777,77.