Dubai: Filipino And Indian Expats Win $1 Million Each In Duty Free Draw

A Dubai-based Filipino and an Indian expat who is originally from Kerala won $1 million (Dh3.67 million) each at today's (September 17) Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draw.

Arsenio A, 47, a Dubai resident for the past 18 years, is the 15th Filipino who won $1 million in the promotion since its inception in 1999. He won in the Millennium Millionaire Series 515 draw with ticket number 3836, which he purchased online on August 30.

Arsenio is a father of two and works for a pharmaceutical company in Dubai. According to organisers, he has been participating in the Dubai Duty Free promotion for the past 10 years. He is the solo winner of the $1 million jackpot.

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He declined to give a further interview and only said, "Thank you so much, Dubai Duty Free! You've been changing lives with this incredible opportunity, and I am grateful to be one of them."

Another million-dollar winner is Abdul Rahman K, a 37-year-old Indian expat based in Sharjah who won in Millennium Millionaire Series 516 with ticket number 4171, which he purchased online on September 6.

Abdul shared the cost of the ticket with his nine friends. All 10 of them have been participating in the draw since 2010, alternating the name on the ticket for each series.

It was Abdul, a father of three who works as a sales assistant for a retail company, who hit the jackpot.

The prize comes at the perfect timing, he said, "two of my daughters are celebrating their birthdays this month, and now we have even more reason to celebrate. "It's amazing!"

Meanwhile, four others are driving away with luxury vehicles.

Luckiest among them is Amit Saraf, a 51-year-old Indian expat based in Dubai, who is a multiple winner. He won a Mercedes-Benz G500 (Obsidian Black) car on Wednesday, ticket number 0482, which he purchased online on August 26. He previously won $1 million – not once but twice (October 2024 and January 2021); a Mercedes-Benz S500 car in February 2023, and a Dh40,000 Dubai Duty Free Gift Card in December 2023. He plans to buy more tickets to increase his chances of winning in the future.

Nazmul Hoque, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi residing in Manama, Bahrain, is another lucky winner. He won a brand new BMW X6 car with ticket number 1721 in Finest Surprise Series 1932, which he purchased online on August 14. Nazmul picked the winning date based on the birth dates of his two daughters.“They are my lucky charms,” he said.

Two more Indians got lucky. Shafeekh Nasarudeen, 41 years old, who is based in Umm Al Quwain, won a BMW F 900 GS Adventure motorbike with ticket number 0347, which he purchased at DXB Terminal 2 on August 28.

Olavo Fernandes, 61, an Indian expat based in Abu Dhabi, will soon be hitting the road with his brand new Ducati Panigale V2 (Red) motorbike that he won with ticket number 0239, which he picked online on August 27. Olavo is a second-time motorbike winner this month, having recently won an Aprilia RSV4 1100 motorbike on September 3.

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