A 61-year-old Filipino bakery worker in Dubai has become an instant millionaire after the ticket he purchased with nine friends won the Dh20-million grand prize in Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket draw.
Reynaldo Herboso was declared the grand-prize winner during the live draw for Series 289 on Monday, August 3, 2026. His winning ticket, number 267822, was purchased online on July 13, according to the official Big Ticket results.
However, Herboso will not take home the entire Dh20 million. The ticket was jointly purchased by a group of 10 friends from the Philippines, India and Bangladesh. With the prize divided equally, each member is expected to receive Dh2 million.
Fifteen years of trying
Herboso has lived in the UAE since 1988 and currently works at a bakery in Dubai. For the past 15 years, he and his friends have regularly pooled their money to purchase Big Ticket entries.
This time, their Bangladeshi friend selected the ticket number that eventually changed their lives.
Herboso was reportedly finishing work in Jebel Ali when the draw’s hosts called him live to deliver the news. Initially stunned, he repeatedly asked whether he had really won before excitedly telling someone nearby about the Dh20-million victory.
“When I found out that we had won, I was completely over the moon,” Herboso said. “I could hardly believe that after all these years, our group had finally won the grand prize.”
The win came just days before his scheduled vacation in the Philippines. Herboso, whose wife has passed away, was preparing to return home for a family visit after spending nearly four decades in the UAE.
No immediate plans for winnings
Despite securing a Dh2-million share, Herboso said he has not yet decided how he will use the money. He intends to wait until he receives the prize before carefully planning his next steps.
He also did not rule out joining future draws, telling other participants to remain hopeful because they never know when their opportunity may come.
Other winners announced
Five participants received consolation prizes of Dh100,000 each during the same Series 289 draw.
Meanwhile, three participants competed in the Big Spin game. Two took home Dh100,000 each, while another won Dh250,000.
Nepali expatriate Ash Bahadur Dura, a 47-year-old operator who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 18 years, also won a brand-new Maserati Grecale. He had reportedly been joining Big Ticket draws for more than a decade.
Herboso’s winning details were confirmed by Big Ticket and reported by Gulf News, Khaleej Times, and The National.
