A day before the Big Ticket draw, 50-year-old Abul Monsur Abdul Sabur and his friends were sitting at a cafeteria and, out of nowhere, they wondered: “What if we win?”
“We didn’t talk about such things before,” said Monsur, a Bangladeshi construction worker who has been joining the draw for the last 16 years. Like usual, the expat — along with 11 of his family and friends — bought five tickets in mid-September and forgot about it.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“One of my friends remembered and asked what I would do if we won this time,” Monsur told Khaleej Times. Imagining the possibility of becoming a millionaire, he said all he wanted was to secure his family’s future and fund his children’s education.
Monsur didn’t know it would go beyond wishful thinking. Their big dream came true on Thursday — when Big Ticket’s Richard and Bouchra rang his phone. He, his family and friends won Dh20 million.
The expat initially thought it was a prank and brushed it off, telling the caller not to joke around. “But then they told me my winning number and the voice on the other end sounded serious,” he said.
He immediately shared the news with his group, and soon they were checking their e-mails and the Big Ticket website. “We couldn’t believe it, and I was speechless,” he said.
Monsur has been buying raffle tickets for 16 years now. He joined Big Ticket a year after arriving in the UAE in 2007.
“I don’t know how much money I have spent on tickets over these years. But finally, the wait was over,” he said
Splitting the prize
In splitting the prize money among the 11 ticket-buyers, there would be some maths involved: Some pitched in Dh50, others Dh100, and a few gave Dh200. Monsur contributed Dh100. The prize will then be divided based on one’s share.
Monsur has clear plans for his winnings. Part of it will go into making a life-long dream come true: to start a business.
“I have wanted to start a business for a long time, but I never had the funds. Now, with this win, I can finally plan for it,” he said, adding he hasn’t decided yet whether to do it in the UAE or back in Bangladesh.
Asked whether he would quit his job, the expat said he doesn’t have immediate plans yet.
Besides the business venture, Monsur will focus on making sure his children finish school — a goal he’s held close to his heart throughout his years of hard work.