Dubai: A Filipino expat who has lived in the UAE since 1988 has won the Dh20 million Big Ticket grand prize, along with nine friends from the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh. The group had been buying tickets together for 15 years.
Reynaldo Herboso, 61, a bakery employee, was named the winner after his ticket number 267822 was drawn live during Big Ticket's Series 289 draw on Monday. He bought the ticket on July 13.
When show hosts Richard and Bouchra Yamani called him live, Herboso initially asked for a minute before responding. "I win? Really? Thank you, thank you…Really?" he said, before telling someone nearby: "I won Dh20 million finally."
Herboso, who lives alone after his wife's passing, was preparing to fly home for a family visit. He said the winning number was chosen by a Bangladeshi member of the group. The prize will be split evenly, giving each friend about Dh2 million.
Herboso advised others to keep trying: "You never know when your moment might come." In the same draw, Ash Bahadur Dura, a Nepali expat in Abu Dhabi, won a Maserati Grecale, and five others each won Dh100,000 consolation prizes.
Source: gulfnews.com
