Just 15 minutes before learning he had won $1 million (Dh3.67 million) in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw, Dubai resident Gaurav Madaan was drafting an email to request an advance from his employer.
The Indian national, who works as a legal counsel and compliance professional, said he needed the money to help finance a Dh2.4 million home he had recently booked in Dubai.
“I was discussing with my wife during Eid Al Adha how we would manage the finances,” Gaurav told Khaleej Times. “I had booked the house and was calculating the numbers. Just 15 minutes before the call, I was typing an email to request an advance from my office.”
“Then my phone rang,” said Gaurav.
Initially, he was unsure if the call was genuine. “At first, I wondered if it was a prank. While they verified my details, I opened the Facebook live stream and checked the winning ticket at the same time. Within two or three minutes, I realised it was real.”
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The win came at a time when Gaurav was thinking about his family’s future. He moved to the UAE with his wife and nine-year-old daughter in July 2023 and had been planning to buy the property.
“My plan was to borrow around Dh1.7 million for the house. Now, since this money came from Dubai, I want to invest it back there.”
For Gaurav, the biggest change is not buying luxury items but securing his family’s future. “My dream home suddenly feels achievable. I can also start planning more confidently for my daughter’s higher education. Ten years from now, education costs will be very different from today.”
He said he plans to invest part of the winnings in real estate and keep some in fixed deposits for long-term financial security.
The winning ticket was purchased online in the third week of May and was his 41st Dubai Duty Free ticket. He said he never chooses ticket numbers himself. “There are two ways to buy a ticket. You can select a number manually or use the I am Feeling Lucky option, which generates a random ticket. I always use the random option, and that is what I did this time,” he said.
He added that he had been buying Dubai Duty Free tickets even before moving to the UAE, whenever he travelled through Dubai Airport on work trips.
Despite the life-changing win, Gaurav said he has no plans to quit his job. “No, I will continue with my job,” he said.
At home, the family is still trying to absorb the news. “My wife is cooking something special, and our daughter is super excited,” he said.
Reflecting on the win, Gaurav said it has brought some of his long-term goals much closer. “When you leave your home country, you come with dreams for your family and your future. Sometimes you think those goals may take 10 or 15 years. Today, it feels like some of them have come much closer.”
