Two winners in Qatar scoop Dh1 million each in Mahzooz draws

One plans to donate Dh100,000 of his windfall to charity

Indian mechanical engineer Shahabaz, who lives in Qatar, won Dh1,000,000. Photo: Mahzooz

Two Indians who live in Qatar were the latest winners in Mahzooz's weekly draws.

Mahzooz updated its prize structure in March so that one player each week is guaranteed to win Dh1,000,000 ($272,000). It also doubled the value of its top prize to Dh20,000,000.

In the most recent draw on March 6, mechanical engineer Shahabaz won Dh1,000,000.

He has played the game regularly for two years and was watching the draw live in Qatar when his name was drawn.

“I watched the live draw online along with my friends and was blown away when I saw my name on the screen,” he said.

His wife, who is studying for her master's degree in India, was the first to congratulate him by phone.

“Thank you, Mahzooz, for this great moment and for helping me secure my family’s future,” said Shahabaz.

Indian oil and gas supervisor Sumair won Dh1,000,000 in the previous week's draw.

Sumair lived in the UAE from 2014 until 2020. After being laid off from his consultancy job during the pandemic, he returned to India, before accepting a job in Qatar last year. He has taken part in the Mahzooz draw since 2021.

He frequently works at sea and adds Dh250 to his Mahzooz credit each week to make sure he is entered in the draw.

“This is awesome, really awesome and it comes at the right time, as I was seriously considering buying a property,” he said.

“When I informed my wife of my win, she was sceptical at first, but when I sent her a screenshot of my Mahzooz account balance, she believed me.”

He said he planned to donate Dh100,000 of his windfall to charity.

The weekly draw every Saturday consists of a draw with a chance to win the top prize of Dh20,000,000 ($5.4 million) and a weekly raffle draw that ensures one entrant will win at least Dh1,000,000.

In April, Nepali driver Padam Bahadur, 41, went from earning a monthly salary of Dh5,700 to winning the top prize.

He said he planned to use the money to pay for his 12-year-old daughter’s education, build a house and invest in a business in his home country, as well as pay off credit card debt.

In November, an Indian mechanical engineer who worked for a steel company in Kuwait went from earning 177 Kuwaiti dinars ($574) a month to being a multimillionaire overnight, after scooping the jackpot.

Dalip, 48, a father of three, said he planned to retire from his job in January this year.