He bought his first raffle at 18, hits $1M prize at 33

dubai — Sunil Kumarkathuria, an Indian expat in Bahrain, has been buying Dubai Duty Free (DDF) raffle tickets since he was about 18 years old. Now 33, he hit the $1-million jackpot.

The sales supervisor was asleep when his phone rang and a call from an unknown number changed his life. He won the grand prize in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draw on Wednesday.

“I couldn’t believe what the caller told me. He asked for my name and then announced that I had finally won the draw. I thought I was dreaming until he asked me to check my ticket number and confirm,” said an excited Sunil.

Sunil said he had always believed in taking risks and trying his luck. Over the last 15 years, he had spent around Dh15,000 or more on raffle tickets, he said.

“Life is all about taking risks and I always felt a sense of excitement when buying raffle tickets, hoping I might win. I have won several prizes in small-scale raffle draws but I never thought I would become an instant millionaire one day,” he told Khaleej Times. Hailing from New Delhi, Sunil dedicated his win to his parents, as it was his

Life is all about taking risks and I always felt a sense of excitement when buying raffle tickets. But I never thought I would become an instant millionaire one day.” Sunil Kumarkathuria,

Indian expat in Bahrain

father who selected his DDF ticket number this year.

He is the 170th Indian national to have won $1 million since the start of the DDF promotion in 1999.

Asked about how he would spend his prize, Sunil said: “I am going to buy a house for me and my parents in India and donate some money to charity.”