For many people, buying a lottery ticket often comes with the same question from family and friends, why test your luck? For Sharjah-based pickup driver Vibeesh Palliyali, that question lingered for years, until persistence and a last-minute decision finally paid off. After 15 years of consistently buying tickets, Vibeesh struck the Dh15 million Big Ticket jackpot, a win that came from a ticket he almost did not purchase.
A last-minute decision
The winning ticket was not even part of Vibeesh’s original plan for the month.“I had already bought one set of tickets for Dh1,000 on February 7 when I was traveling to India,” he told Khaleej Times.
“On February 28, my cousin and two of his friends called me asking to take a ticket with them. I tried telling them that I had already spent my budget this month, but they kept begging me. I took the ticket so as not to let them down. I purchased it at 8pm online. That is the ticket that brought me luck.”
The Sharjah resident, who works as a pickup driver for a transport company, was on the road when he received the life-changing call.
The call that changed everything
After two decades of driving across the UAE, often to the remotest corners of the country, Vibeesh was returning home from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah after delivering a load when the Big Ticket team called him on Wednesday evening.
“Since I am regular customer, I usually get a call from the company,” he told Khaleej Times. “But they usually call in the middle or the end of the month saying that there are offers on tickets. I wondered why they would call me in the beginning of the month in the evening.” The moment he heard the news, disbelief was his first reaction.
He added that when he was informed of his big win, he was speechless for a few seconds. “I asked them if it was a prank call even though I knew it wasn’t,” he told Khaleej Times. “Afterwards, I called my wife and said that I got a call. She checked online immediately and then told me that my name was on the website as the winner.”
A 15-year habit
For Vibeesh, buying a Big Ticket had become a routine that he rarely spoke about. “I have been buying this ticket every month religiously for the last 15 years,” he said. “As you can imagine, as a driver, setting aside Dh1,000 per month was a task. Many times, my wife would complain that she could use that money for other things. Some months, I wouldn’t even tell her that I had bought the ticket.”
Despite the long streak of purchases, Vibeesh never expected the big win.
“Buying a ticket was just a way of life for me,” he said. “I never really imagined winning it or doing something with the money. The only wish I had was that one day, I want to win something — even if it was the prize of Dh100,000.”
Planning the next chapter
The Dh15 million prize is shared with three others, leaving Vibeesh with just under Dh4 million. While he has not yet fully decided how he will use the money, one dream is already clear.
“I have been driving all over UAE for 20 years,” he said. “Now, I want to go back to India and settle down. So this money will definitely help with that.”
He also plans to secure the future of his daughter Vandana, who is currently studying in Bengaluru.
“She did her schooling here at Sharjah Indian School and is now studying BBA in India,” he said. “I want to make sure to secure her future.”