Rijo Thomas Jose, an Indian resident from Kerala, has won Dh250,000 in the recent Mega7 lotto hosted by Emirates Draw. The win came close to a Dh100 million jackpot, missing by just one number. Jose has been participating in the lottery for over a year and was notified of his win via email on Thursday.
Jose, who manages his family’s educational institute in India, expressed his disbelief and joy upon learning about his win. “I got to know about my win through email and could not believe my eyes that I won such a big amount,” he said.
Already involved in helping students achieve their academic goals through his educational institute, Jose has promised to continue his pursuit of the top prize. He aims to use the jackpot to aid students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. “If I ever win that grand prize, I want to help students whose parents can’t afford to send them to good schools because of money problems,” Jose stated.
Emirates Draw allows overseas players to participate online, although winners must travel to the UAE to claim their prizes. Jose is the second player this summer to come tantalizingly close to the Dh100 million jackpot. In June, Italian resident Andrea Bellanti also matched six out of seven numbers, winning Dh250,000.
For now, Jose remains hopeful for a bigger win in the future and intends to keep playing the lottery, motivated by the potential for transformative good he could do with the grand prize.