Tayab Khan, a 26-year-old Nepalese security guard working in Abu Dhabi's Ruwais Industrial Area, became the first winner of the UAE Lottery's new Dh30 million grand prize after matching all 7 winning numbers in a May 27, 2026 draw.
uncertain
Khan → work → draw
Khan did not watch the draw and instead discovered the result through an email notification during the Eid Al Adha holiday.
asserted
Khan → watch → holiday
Khan had bought the ticket as part of a 5-member syndicate called Future Millionaires, meaning the prize will be divided equally among him and 4 friends, giving each member Dh6 million, or about $1.64 million.
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prize → buy → million
Khan has said he plans to leave his security job, build a home for his family in Nepal and learn more about investment and business opportunities, while allowing himself a few luxuries, including a Mahindra Thar and a Rolex watch.
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he → say → Thar
This remarkable win demonstrates how persistent collective effort among close friends can transform ordinary aspirations into extraordinary opportunities, ultimately strengthening both personal relationships and financial futures.
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effort → demonstrate → relationships
The syndicate had been playing together for 18 months
Khan moved from Nepal's Gorkha district to the UAE about 4 years ago and has worked as a security guard in the Ruwais Industrial Area.
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Khan → play → Area
He had been participating in the UAE Lottery regularly since its launch, which took place in December 2024, and continued playing with his friends despite not initially winning a major prize.
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which → participate → prize
The group pooled money to buy lottery tickets and called themselves Future Millionaires, a name Khan chose before their eventual win.
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Khan → pool → win
After the jackpot, he said he changed the group's name to simply "Millionaires".
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he → say → Millionaires
Two of his fellow syndicate members, Sandeep BK and Shishir Paudel, joined Khan when he spoke about the win at the UAE Lottery's offices.
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he → join → offices
The winning draw was held on Wednesday, May 27.
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draw → win → Wednesday
Khan had selected all 7 winning numbers at random and was not watching the live broadcast when the results were announced.
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results → select → broadcast
Instead, he received an email later that evening.
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he → receive → email
He initially expected the message to relate to one of the smaller prizes he had won in previous draws.
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he → expect → draws
When he opened it and saw Dh30 million, he said his hands and legs began shaking and that he could not speak.
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he → open → million
Each of the 5 friends will receive Dh6 million
The friends had regularly pooled their money to participate, with the winning ticket bought collectively.
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ticket → pool → money
The Dh30 million jackpot will therefore be divided equally between all 5 members of the syndicate.
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jackpot → divide → syndicate
That leaves each person with Dh6 million, equivalent to roughly $1.64 million.
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That → leave → million
Khan described the money as an opportunity to provide greater financial security for his family and said the win could give his friends the freedom to take new opportunities in their own lives.
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win → describe → lives
The group had already experienced smaller lottery wins, which encouraged them to continue participating.
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which → experience → them
Khan said there had been periods when it felt as though the jackpot might never come, but the friends continued to believe they could eventually win.
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they → say → ?
Khan plans to build a home for his family in Nepal
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Khan → plan → Nepal
Khan's first major priority is building a house for his family in Nepal.
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priority → build → Nepal
He has said that owning a good home for his parents and wider family was already one of his biggest goals, and the jackpot will allow him to build the kind of house he had previously hoped for.
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he → say → house
He also intends to leave his job as a security guard and explore entrepreneurship and investment.
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He → intend → entrepreneurship
After working as an employee for 4 years, Khan said he now wants to learn more about investing and move towards a different stage of his working life.
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he → work → life
His plans extend beyond the immediate financial windfall.
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plans → extend → windfall
Khan has spoken about using the money to create greater security for his family, while also taking time to consider what he wants to do next rather than making every decision immediately after the win.
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he → speak → win
While most of Khan's stated priorities involve his family and his future, he has also identified a couple of personal purchases he has wanted for years.
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he → state → years
He told Gulf News and Khaleej Times that a Mahindra Thar SUV and a Rolex watch are both on his wish list.
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SUV → tell → list
The purchases sit alongside his plans to build a family home and explore investment and business opportunities.
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purchases → sit → opportunities
Khan has also said he has not yet settled on all of his long-term plans.
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he → say → plans
For now, the immediate focus is on celebrating the win with the four friends who shared the ticket and on working out how to use the money responsibly.
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who → celebrate → money
The win came after the UAE Lottery changed its jackpot format
Khan's jackpot came shortly after the UAE Lottery changed its grand-prize structure.
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Lottery → come → structure
The lottery launched in December 2024 with a Dh100 million grand prize, but changed to a format offering a Dh30 million top prize on a twice-weekly schedule in April 2026.
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lottery → launch → April
The Lucky Day draw uses a calendar-style format.
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draw → use → format
Players select 6 numbers from 1 to 31 in the "day" section and 1 number from 1 to 12 in the "month" section, making 7 selections in total.
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Players → select → total
Khan matched all 7 numbers in the May 27 draw.
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Khan → match → draw
Participants must be UAE residents aged at least 18 and register through the lottery's official platform.
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Participants → age → platform
Khan has also urged other players to approach the lottery responsibly.
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Khan → urge → lottery
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
