British gym manager wins Dh10 million in Mahzooz draw only days before his wedding

Dubai resident Reece matched all five numbers

Reece, winner of the Dh10 million Mahzooz draw pictured during a press conference on Friday at the Ewings office in Dubai. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

Reece (left) with Farid Samji, chief executive of Ewings.

Mahzooz staff surprised Reece with a cake to celebrate both his recent marriage and Dh10 million success.

Reece cuts his cake at a press conference to announce his success.

Reece (left) is presented with his Dh10 million cheque by Farid Samji, chief executive of Ewings, the operator of Mahzooz.

Reece arriving to collect his cheque at the Ewings office in Dubai.

A gym manager from the UK is celebrating after winning Dh10 million ($2.7m) in the Mahzooz weekly draw.

Reece, 26, who asked for his last name not to be publicised, said he plans to keep his job and to be “as smart as possible about investing the winnings”.

It was a week of celebrations for the man from Luton, outside London, as he also got married on Thursday.

“When I went on the Mahzooz website on Saturday night I saw that someone had won the Dh10 million jackpot and I thought ‘that’s incredible’.

“Then I checked my numbers and realised that I was the person who had won it.

“I froze for about a minute before running upstairs to tell my wife, she just burst into tears of joy.”

The Dubai resident matched all five numbers on Saturday’s prize draw, the third person in the last four weeks to claim the top prize.

“I’m going to keep working at the gym. My employers have been great to me over the past four years, since I moved to Dubai, they’ve helped me to become the person I am,” he said.

“After I told my wife, I phoned my parents back in the UK and my dad couldn’t believe it, even the next day he was still messaging me to ask if it really had happened.”

While Reece said he would seek financial advice on how best to invest his winnings, there were a few purchases he was keen to make.

“At the moment we’re renting a property here so we would like to buy our own home,” he said.

“I’d also like to buy my wife a brand-new car as she’s never had a brand new one before.”

Reece said he was determined to keep his feet on the ground, despite becoming a millionaire overnight.

“We’re trying to be smart about how we do things because this is an incredible amount of money that will change our lives,” he said.

“It’s given us the option to unlock the next level of life. There are so many things running through my head that I’ve never dreamt of before.”

He was not the first member of staff from his gym to have won big in the Mahzooz draw.

“A Filipino colleague of mine won Dh1 million in the draw in July last year,” he said.

“To be honest, it’s hard to try to put my emotions into words. The first night after winning I just couldn’t sleep at all.

‘It’s important for me to remember where I come from and that’s why my priority is to focus on how to make my family’s life better.”

Reece’s lucky numbers were 16, 18, 37, 38 and 40.

To take part in the event, entrants are required to purchase a Dh35 bottle of water, which is then donated to people in need across the UAE.

Purchasing the bottle of water entitles you then to take part in the weekly prize draw.

“We are delighted that the Mahzooz win came in at such a milestone in Reece’s life, just days before his wedding,” said Farid Samji, chief executive of Ewings, the company that operates the weekly draw.

“Now, the young couple can plan for the future without any financial anxiety, thanks to the life-changing win.

“In a span of four weeks, we had three top prize winners, and we hope that this positive trend will continue and that more people will soon be living the Mahzooz dream.”

People can take part by registering at www.mahzooz.ae