A 42-year-old Indian resident has become the first recipient of the AED 5 million Second Prize in The UAE Lottery’s Lucky Day Draw, marking a new payout level in the weekly game.
Murugananth Govinthan registered for the draw for the first time and purchased a single ticket, which he shared with a close friend. That ticket secured the AED 5 million ($1.36 million) Second Prize, an amount recently increased from AED 1 million ($0.27 million). The winnings will be split between the two.
Talking about the outcome, Murugananth said: “I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I’ve been through over the past three years, the challenges, my marriage, my children’s education, and all the responsibilities on my shoulders. That’s why I came to the UAE. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I feel very happy.“
He added: “We are still living in a rented house and have always wanted to build our own home. My children want that too. The situation didn’t allow it before, but now I feel I’m on the way to resolving these struggles. I feel happy and consider this a great blessing from God.“
The Lucky Day Draw has been conducted weekly every Saturday at 8:30 PM since 29 November 2025. In addition to the AED 5 million Second Prize, the draw includes an AED 30 million ($8.17 million) Grand Prize and a weekly Lucky Chance Raffle that awards three winners AED 100,000 ($272,25.70) each.
The milestone comes as The UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC, marked its first anniversary in November 2025. By that point, the lottery had recorded one AED 100 million Grand Prize winner, four AED 1 million winners, and more than 290 Lucky Day, Lucky Chance, and scratch card participants who each received AED 100,000.
All games are approved and regulated by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. Tickets for upcoming Lucky Day Draws are available at www.theuaelottery.ae.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/26/117796-uae-lottery-awards-first-aed-5-million-prize-to-firsttime-player
