Indian hits jackpot after 10 years of trying his luck

Japanese visitor also wins $1m in Duty Free raffle

After spending thousands of dirhams on raffle tickets for ten years, Santosh Vijayan finally hit the jackpot.

The 50-year-old Indian expatriate was one of the latest US dollar millionaires declared by Dubai Duty Free yesterday.

The ticket he bought recently, which was drawn during the latest edition of Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise promotion at Dubai International Airport, just won him $1 million (Dh3.6 million).

“I finally got lucky this time,” Vijayan told Gulf News. The father of two has been living in the UAE for 27 years and works as an operations manager for a company based in Abu Dhabi.

He has a habit of buying at least one Dubai Duty Free ticket, which costs Dh1,000 each, whenever he travels. And on average, he picks two to three tickets a year.

While he may have spent so much, approximately Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 on tickets in a decade, he said all the money he has spent is worth it.

“I couldn’t think of a specific reason why I got lucky this time, but I guess it’s worth the money,” he said.

Yasunobu Yamada, a 47-year-old Japanese from Fukuoka, also won $1 million (Dh3.6 million) in the same draw.

The Japanese traveller was on his way to Germany when he bought a Dubai Duty Free ticket. “It was my second trip in Dubai and I couldn’t be happier that my second visit has made me a millionaire,” the winner said.