Indian man's joy at Dh250,000 UAE lotto win despite missing out on Dh100m by one number

Rijo Thomas Jose was one number away from securing the lucrative Emirates Draw jackpot

Rijo Thomas Jose from Kerala, India, won Dh250,000 in the latest Emirates Draw. Photo: Emirates Draw

An Indian resident has told of his delight at securing a Dh250,000 lotto win – despite being one number away from a Dh100 million jackpot.

Rijo Thomas Jose, from Kerala, picked six out of seven numbers in the latest Mega7 lotto held by Emirates Draw on Sunday.

The businessman has since vowed to keep on playing in search of the lucrative top prize in the hopes he can share his good fortune with young learners.

He found out about his newfound wealth by email on Thursday.

Mr Jose, who runs his family's education institute in India, helps students achieve their academic goals.

“I got to know about my win through email and could not believe my eyes that I won such a big amount,” said Mr Jose, who has been trying his luck in the draw for more than a year.

“Running educational institutions can be very tough, but I am really proud that our colleges help students follow their dreams.

“If I ever win that grand prize, I want to help students whose parents can't afford to send them to good schools because of money problems.”

People who are based outside of the UAE are eligible to enter the draw.

Players of all prizes - with the exception of the Dh100m jackpot - can have their winnings credited to a chosen bank account.

Anyone based overseas who secures the Dh100m grand prize will be supported in travelling to the Emirates to claim their fortune.

Mr Jose is the second Emirates Draw player to come agonisingly close to scooping Dh100 million this summer.

In June, Italian resident Andrea Bellanti also selected six out of seven winning numbers and walked away with Dh250,000.

Mr Bellanti was on holiday near Venice when he heard about his good fortune.