When the call that changed her family’s finances arrived, Bernadetta Azucena was thousands of kilometres from the UAE, asleep in the Philippines.
The Ajman-based Filipina expat’s name was on the ticket that won the Dh20 million grand prize in the latest Big Ticket draw. She is recovering from an arm injury and was not in the country when the numbers came up. The prize will not belong to her alone. It will be divided among all 22 members of a group of relatives and friends who have bought tickets together since 2017.
An unexpected call in the middle of the night
Azucena, 42, had flown home on 30 September for surgery after hurting a bone in her right arm in a roadside accident. The injury made it hard for her to work and write, and with nobody in the UAE able to look after her, her husband sent her back for treatment. She has worked in the UAE since 2016, most recently as a secretary, until her contract ended.
During the draw it was 1am in the Philippines. Her husband, still working in the UAE, made a video call to tell her the news. She says she struggled to believe him. “I thought I was dreaming,” she said, and she asked him to show her the draw footage because she was still confused.
When Big Ticket organisers finally reached her, she was so overwhelmed that she gave the wrong group size, telling them there were 10 to 12 members. She later realised the actual number was 22.
How the winning ticket was chosen
The group has a simple routine. Members take turns buying tickets, and this time the ticket was registered under Azucena’s name. This round was slightly different, though. Because the group used the “2+4” promotion, six of its 22 members picked the numbers, and one of those six chose the winning combination.
Because everyone contributes, everyone shares. Azucena said the prize is about far more than its headline value for a group whose members each carry different responsibilities.
What the money will do
For Azucena, the plans are practical. She says her share will go first towards clearing the family’s housing loan, which still has nine years to run, and their car loan. Saving for her daughter’s future is another priority.
She said the wider group sees the win as a chance to pay off debts and give their children better opportunities. In her words, each member has their own problems and responsibilities, so the prize will mean something different to each of them. The group hopes to spend its share carefully to build a more secure future for their families.
Staying in the UAE
The win does not mean an end to her life in the Emirates. Azucena said the plan was always for her to return to the Philippines for surgery, and that she intends to come back to the UAE once she has fully recovered, since her husband still works here.
Not stopping now
The group has no plans to give up on the raffle. Azucena said earlier stories of people winning more than once encouraged them to keep entering. She described herself as a longtime fan of raffles and promotions. Her earlier wins include a gold coin from a water company, a Dh250 coupon, Dh500 from a radio station and Dh10,000 from a mall draw. This is her biggest prize so far, though she noted it will be divided 22 ways.
As with any raffle, odds of winning are low, and entrants should only spend what they can comfortably afford. For one group of friends and relatives who have been buying tickets together for almost a decade, the numbers finally came up.
