Dubai-based Indian and Filipino expats win Dhs500,000 each in Emirates Loto draw

In the Emirates Loto draw conducted on Saturday, April 25, two Dubai residents – an Indian and a Filipino expat – won Dhs500,000 each after they correctly chose five of the six numbers drawn in the live lottery.

As a result, the Dhs1m prize was split equally between the two participants who declined to have their identities revealed.

The earlier rules stipulated that those who selected five of the six chosen numbers stood to win a guaranteed amount of Dhs350,000 each. However, according to the new rules published on its website, the amount will now be Dhs1m split equally between all those who have a combination of five matching numbers.

In the first Emirates Loto draw conducted on April 18, Dubai-based Indian resident Mohammed Khalid won a Dhs350,000 cash prize.

Read: Indian expat in Dubai wins Dhs350,000 in newly-launched Emirates Loto

The fatwa-approved Emirates Loto draw takes place every Saturday with the results livestreamed across multiple platforms including the Emirates Loto’s website and social media platforms at 7.30pm UAE time.

Those who wish to participate must purchase a collectable card priced at Dhs35 via the lottery’s website, or select stores in the UAE, and choose six numbers between 1-49.

If a player matches three of the six numbers chosen during the weekly live draw, they win a free entry; if they match four numbers, they win a cash prize of Dhs300. Those with five matching numbers stand to have the amount of Dhs1m split equally among them, as was the case with the most recent winners.

The lucky player/players with six matching numbers will win the bumper prize of Dhs35m, divided equally between all those with the winning combination.

That jackpot prize meanwhile is increased in increments of Dhs5m if it isn’t claimed in any given draw until it reaches a cap of Dhs50m where it will remain until it is claimed.

No one has yet won the jackpot prize. As a result, the jackpot prize has been raised to a whopping Dhs45m for the next edition of the draw expected to take place on Saturday, May 2.

In a press statement, Emirates Loto explained the lengths it goes to in order to ensure fairness and accuracy in the draw.

It said that before each draw, every ball is inspected by a team of in-house and third-party experts who wear gloves to prevent the transfer of hand oils and dirt which could change the weight and size of the ball over time.

Both draw machines are checked to ensure that no tampering has taken place and the machine for the night is chosen by an independent adjudicator, then moved to the studio under dual control.

It added that to ensure randomisation of ball selection, the team weighs and calibrates each ball before the draw to check for any potential sign of tampering, mishandling or normal wear and tear.

It also stores its draw machines and ball sets in a secure location at its studio where different sets of balls are never mixed.

Each set of balls is kept in a locked suitcase and secured with a numbered security tag that is unbreakable.

It added that before every draw, five test draws of the numbered balls are done to make sure all equipment is working correctly and to verify that selection of the balls is completely random.

If three or more numbers are drawn more than three times during the machine’s pre-test, both the machine and the set of balls are changed and the testing repeated.

“Emirates Loto operates on strict fair play grounds, and there is a long checklist of technicalities to adhere to in order to ensure we meet global standards for our participants,” said Paul Sebestyen, CEO of Emirates Loto.