Dubai: An Indian national living in Doha, Qatar, won $1 million in the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw that took place after the prize presentation ceremony of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Men’s final on Saturday.
The winning ticket was drawn by Russian tennis player and champion of the tournament, Daniil Medvedev, who claimed his maiden Dubai title after defeating compatriot Andrey Rublev in the finals.
The winner, Abdul Rauf Mullali Kunnontakath, 55, became the latest dollar millionaire in Millennium Millionaire Series 416 with ticket number 1771.
A resident of Doha for 25 years and a regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion since 2018, Kunnontakath is a father-of-two and works as finance manager for a building maintenance in Doha.
He said: ‘I’ve been buying tickets [for DDF draws] since 2018 and with only 5,000 tickets on sale, unlike other similar promotions from other duty-free retailers, I knew I had a better chance of winning in your promotion, and I was right as it finally happened.”
Kunnontakath, who hails from Kerala in India, is the 207th Indian national to have won $1 million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999. Indian nationals make up the highest number of Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire ticket buyers.
Medvedev was accompanied at the Millennium Millionaire draw by Dubai Duty Free Senior COO Ramesh Cidambi and Senior El Sibai, Senior Vice President for Marketing.
Tickets for the Finest Surprise and Millennium Millionaire promotion were on sale at Dubai Duty Free counters at the Tennis Village throughout the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which was held from February 19 to March 4.
