Big Ticket Abu Dhabi Explained: Price, Draw Dates, Owner and Legality

Last updated: 7 August 2026

Big Ticket is the UAE's longest-running prize raffle: a monthly draw that started at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1992 and still draws live on the 3rd of each month. Tickets cost Dh500, grand prizes in 2026 have run from Dh15 million to Dh30 million, and since December 2024 the draw has operated under the supervision of the federal gaming regulator, the GCGRA. This guide answers the questions people actually search for: when the next draw is, who runs it, how many tickets are sold, and whether it is legal and real.

Key takeaways

• Big Ticket is a monthly raffle, not a numbers lottery. Each Dh500 ticket is one entry into the live draw held on the 3rd of each month at 7:30pm.
• The next draw is on 3 September 2026. The operator currently advertises a Dh15 million grand prize for it, plus five consolation prizes of Dh100,000 and a "Big Spin" worth up to Dh1 million.
• The biggest prize in Big Ticket's history is Dh35 million, won in the 3 January 2023 draw by a Bangladeshi expat in Al Ain.
• Big Ticket is legal: the GCGRA authorised it to continue as a "preexisting airport lottery" on 9 December 2024. The country's sole lottery licence belongs to The Game LLC, operator of the UAE Lottery.
• The operator does not publish how many tickets it sells. There is no cap, so the odds vary month to month and are not published either.
• You do not need to live in the UAE to play. Tickets are sold online at bigticket.ae and at counters at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport, and recent winners have been resident in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

When is the next Big Ticket draw?

The next Big Ticket draw is on 3 September 2026 at 7:30pm UAE time, as advertised on the operator's site. Big Ticket draws live on the 3rd of every month; each draw closes one series and ticket sales roll into the next.

The most recent draw, Series 289 on 3 August 2026, awarded a Dh20 million grand prize to Reynaldo Herboso, a 61-year-old Filipino bakery employee who has lived in Dubai since 1988. His winning ticket, number 267822, was bought on 13 July as part of a group of ten friends who will split the prize. The same draw paid five consolation prizes of Dh100,000 and a Maserati Grecale in the Dream Car draw, and ran the first Big Spin event, a new game introduced in July 2026 in which selected ticket holders spin for up to Dh1 million.

For the September series the operator advertises a Dh15 million grand prize, three Big Spin winners of up to Dh1 million each, five consolation prizes of Dh100,000 and four weekly prizes of Dh25,000. Grand prizes move month to month: 2026 has seen Dh30 million in January, Dh25 million in May and July, and Dh20 million in June and August.

One rare disruption is worth noting: the 3 March 2026 draw was postponed by one day because of regional tensions during the Iran conflict. Draws have run normally since.

How much is a Big Ticket?

A Big Ticket raffle ticket costs Dh500, including VAT. One ticket is one entry into the monthly draw, and there is no limit to how many you can buy.

Multi-buy promotions are a fixture and change frequently. The site currently advertises "Buy 2 Tickets, Get 2 Free" for the 3 September draw; earlier this summer it was offering three free tickets with two. Dream Car raffle tickets are sold separately.

Who owns Big Ticket?

The operator is The Big Ticket LLC, which describes itself in its own terms as "the official operator of the Big Ticket raffle draw in the United Arab Emirates". It is a separate company from The Game LLC, the Abu Dhabi-based operator of the UAE Lottery; the similar names cause regular confusion.

The raffle itself has airport roots. It launched at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1992 with a Dh1 million top prize, and trade press coverage from 2005 describes Abu Dhabi Duty Free relaunching it as its flagship promotion. It has run monthly ever since, which makes it the country's oldest continuous prize draw.

Is Big Ticket legal in the UAE?

Yes. On 9 December 2024 the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the UAE's sole federal gaming regulator, said it had granted the country's only lottery licence to The Game LLC and that Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free were authorised to continue operating as "preexisting airport lotteries" under its supervision. Every other legacy draw was ordered to shut down.

That status is an authorisation rather than a licence, a distinction the regulator drew itself. Big Ticket's legality rests on the December 2024 statement, and it has run its monthly draws without interruption ever since. Our comparison of the UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free covers how the three legal draws differ, and our guide to what is legal in UAE gaming sets out the wider rulebook.

Is Big Ticket real or fake?

Real. Big Ticket is a 34-year-old draw whose winners are named, photographed and interviewed in UAE press every month, and its continuation is explicitly authorised by the federal regulator.

The 2026 winners' list is public and specific: Anna Lee Gayongan, a Dubai-based Filipino expat, won Dh30 million on 3 January; Abdul Rasheed Allipra Valappil Abdu, a 48-year-old Dubai driver from Kerala, won Dh25 million on 3 May; Kanika Arora, from Delhi, won Dh25 million in the Series 288 draw on 3 July; and Reynaldo Herboso won Dh20 million on 3 August.

The caution that does apply: the regulator's December 2024 warning was issued precisely because unlicensed operators mimic established brands. Buy only through bigticket.ae or the airport counters, and treat any other site, app or WhatsApp message selling "Big Ticket" entries as a scam signal.

How many Big Tickets are sold each month?

The operator does not say. Big Ticket publishes no ticket sales figures, and its official help desk states there is "no cap or limit to the total number of participants per month".

That has one practical consequence: the odds of winning are not published either, because they depend on how many tickets sell in a given series. This is the opposite of Dubai Duty Free's Millennium Millionaire, which caps each series at 5,000 tickets and can therefore publish a fixed 1-in-5,000 chance. Big Ticket's uncapped format is why its headline prizes can be far larger, and why any site quoting you precise Big Ticket odds is guessing.

Where can you buy Big Ticket, and who can play?

Two channels: online at bigticket.ae, and at counters at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Airport. The operator's FAQ says these are its only sales points, so tickets are not sold in Dubai malls or shops.

Eligibility is broad. Players must be at least 18 and hold valid identification, and the operator says its draws are "open to many nationalities including those living abroad". Recent winners confirm it: the August 2026 Big Spin contestants included a ticket holder resident in Oman, and grand prize winners in the past two years have lived in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Grand prize winners must collect their cheque at the operator's office; smaller prizes are paid by bank transfer.

That openness is the sharpest contrast with the UAE Lottery, which requires players to be physically inside the UAE. Our guides to the UAE Lottery rules and what tourists can play have the detail.

Is there a Big Ticket in Dubai?

No. Despite the search term "Big Ticket Dubai", the raffle is an Abu Dhabi operation: the counters are at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport, and the live draws are held there.

Dubai's equivalent is Dubai Duty Free's Millennium Millionaire, a separate airport raffle at Dh1,000 a ticket with a fixed 5,000-ticket series and a US$1 million prize. Both are authorised by the GCGRA, but they are different products run by different operators. If you are in Dubai and want a Big Ticket entry, the online store is the route.

What is the biggest Big Ticket prize ever won?

Dh35 million, in the Series 247 draw on 3 January 2023. The winner, Mohammed Rayful, a 39-year-old Bangladeshi pick-up driver living in Al Ain, had bought ticket 043678 online with a group of 20 friends, who split the prize. It remains the largest grand prize in the raffle's history.

Recent years have clustered at Dh20 million to Dh30 million. The 2026 peak so far is the Dh30 million won by Anna Lee Gayongan in January; Bahrain resident Manu Mohanan won Dh30 million in January 2025. Alongside the cash grand prize, each monthly draw awards a luxury car in the Dream Car draw, with recent wins including a BMW X6 and a Maserati Grecale.

FAQ

Is Big Ticket the same as the UAE Lottery? No. The UAE Lottery is the federally licensed numbers lottery run by The Game LLC, with twice-weekly draws and Dh50 tickets. Big Ticket is a monthly airport raffle at Dh500 a ticket, authorised by the GCGRA as a preexisting airport lottery. Different operators, different products.

Can I buy Big Ticket from outside the UAE? Yes. The operator sells online to many nationalities living abroad, and recent winners have been resident in Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

What time is the Big Ticket draw? Draws are held live on the 3rd of each month at 7:30pm UAE time. The next one is 3 September 2026.

How old do you have to be to play Big Ticket? Eighteen. The operator does not allow minors to join the raffle, though a parent or guardian can hold a ticket in a child's name as a sub-account.

How are Big Ticket prizes paid? Smaller prizes are paid by bank transfer. The grand prize winner must visit the operator's office to collect the cheque, per the official FAQ.

Was the Big Ticket draw ever postponed? Once, recently: the 3 March 2026 draw moved to 4 March because of regional tensions during the Iran conflict. Draws have run on the 3rd as normal since.

Further reading

• UAE Lottery vs Big Ticket vs Dubai Duty Free: which draw is worth your money
• UAE Lottery rules explained
• The Game LLC and the UAE's sole lottery licence
• What is legal in UAE gaming right now
• Can tourists gamble in the UAE?

Sources

• Big Ticket, official site (next draw 3 September 2026, current promotion, advertised prize structure): https://bigticket.ae/big-ticket
• Big Ticket, winners club (series history and grand prize amounts): https://bigticket.ae/winners-club
• Big Ticket, official terms ("The Big Ticket LLC... official operator of the Big Ticket raffle draw"): https://bigticket.ae/big-question-terms
• Big Ticket, official help desk (eligibility, 18+, no cap on tickets, sales points, prize claims): https://bigticket-org.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/folders/64000111141
• GCGRA, "Warning Against Unlicensed Lottery and Gaming Operators", 9 December 2024: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/news/press-releases/december-2024-press-release-gcgra-issues-warning-against-unlicensed-lottery-and-gaming-operators/
• Khaleej Times, "Dubai-based Filipino baker wins Dh20-million Big Ticket prize", 3 August 2026: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/big-ticket-august-3-live-draw-winners
• Gulf News, "Filipino expat in UAE wins Dh20 million Abu Dhabi Big Ticket grand prize", 4 August 2026: https://gulfnews.com/uae/filipino-expat-wins-dh20m-abu-dhabi-big-ticket-grand-prize-1.500629520
• Khaleej Times, "Bangladeshi expat from Al Ain wins Dh35 million in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw", 3 January 2023: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-bangladeshi-expat-from-al-ain-wins-dh35-million-in-big-ticket-abu-dhabi-draw
• The National, "Abu Dhabi Big Ticket to ring in new year with record Dh35 million jackpot", 1 December 2022: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/12/01/abu-dhabi-big-ticket-to-ring-in-new-year-with-record-dh35-million-jackpot/
• Gulf News, "Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw postponed amid regional tensions", 3 March 2026: https://gulfnews.com/uae/big-ticket-abu-dhabi-draw-postponed-amid-regional-tensions-1.500462399
• The Moodie Davitt Report, "Abu Dhabi Duty Free offers millionaire opportunity as it unveils 'Big Ticket' promotion", May 2005: https://moodiedavittreport.com/abu-dhabi-duty-free-offers-millionaire-opportunity-as-its-unveils-big-ticket-promotion-080505/
• Gulf News, "Bangladeshi expat wins Dh20 million in latest Big Ticket draw" (Dh500 incl. VAT): https://gulfnews.com/uae/bangladeshi-expat-wins-dh20-million-in-latest-big-ticket-draw-1.88343624