A 42-year-old Filipina has won the Dh20 million grand prize in the latest Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw.
Bernadette Azucena, a former UAE resident who returned to the Philippines last year, won with ticket number 013075 during Saturday night’s Series 291 draw.
Azucena had been participating in Big Ticket since 2017 as part of a group of 22 people. The prize will be shared among the group.
Her husband, who continues to work in the UAE, delivered the news after she missed the organisers’ initial call because she was asleep in the Philippines.
The latest draw also produced several UAE-based expatriate winners. Indian expat Sunil Kumar from Abu Dhabi won Dh1 million, while other Indian nationals won Dh500,000, Dh250,000 and two Dh100,000 prizes. A Nissan Patrol was also awarded.
The story is likely to resonate strongly with the UAE’s large expatriate communities, particularly because the jackpot winner maintained her connection to the UAE through her family and the ticket group.