The fortunes of another Indian expatriate working in Dubai have changed overnight. 47-year-old Premadasan Makkalikal, a resident of Kerala, has won a bumper prize of $ 1 million i.e. about 36.7 lakh dirhams in the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire draw. Premadasan works as a messenger in a typing center in Dubai. He had bought this ticket along with his family members and a friend, and now he has got the fruits of it.
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How did you get this lottery jackpot?
Premadasan Makkalikal has been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last 23 years and was continuously participating in this lottery since 2008. He had purchased ticket number 0277 of Millennium Millionaire Series 537 from Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport on 8 February 2026. The price of this one ticket is 1000 dirhams (about 272 dollars) plus 5% VAT. Premadasan had not paid the ticket money alone, but had deposited it along with two of his relatives and a friend. Now this huge amount won will also be distributed among all of them.
Dubai Duty Free Draw rules and information
A new draw was also held on 11 March 2026 at Concourse C of Dubai Airport in which Saif, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, won the BMW M4 Convertible car. If you also want to participate in Dubai Duty Free Lottery, then some of its rules are as follows:
ticket price: A lottery ticket costs AED 1,000 plus a 5% tax.
Chances of winning: There are only 5,000 tickets in each series. This gives people a 1-in-5,000 chance of winning.
Who can take: Any person above 18 years of age can buy this ticket, whether he works there or is just visiting.
Tax Free Rewards: This prize money received in UAE is completely tax free and once the ticket is purchased, the money is not refundable.
Indians dominate the lottery
Indians have had a strong influence on this lottery since the inception of Dubai Duty Free. The largest number of ticket buyers are Indian citizens. Premadasan has become the 272nd Indian to win the $1 million prize since 1999. At present, tickets for the new series 539 have been made available for sale on the official website of DDF. Recently, another Indian, 79-year-old Rajan Lal also won this big prize in Series 535.