The Game LLC Explained: UAE Lottery Licence, the Fanatics Deal and What Changed in 2026

Last updated: 6 August 2026

The Game LLC is the Abu Dhabi company the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) named as operator of The UAE Lottery, and it remains the only business on the regulator's public register under Lottery Licensee. The licence story is now two years old, so this profile focuses on what has changed: a joint venture with Fanatics approved by the regulator in June 2026, a rebuilt jackpot format that has already produced two Dh30 million winners in five weeks, and a lottery that has grown past 600,000 registered players and Dh175 million in prizes paid.

Key takeaways

• The Game LLC, part of Abu Dhabi's Momentum Group, holds the UAE's sole lottery licence, awarded on 28 July 2024 and confirmed as exclusive in the GCGRA's warning of 9 December 2024.
• On 29 June 2026, Momentum and Fanatics announced a joint venture covering all of Momentum's licensed operations, including The UAE Lottery and Play971. The GCGRA approved the change in control in advance.
• The Lucky Day format was rebuilt in December 2025: the jackpot dropped from Dh100 million to Dh30 million, a Dh5 million second prize was added, and from April 2026 draws run twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Three grand prizes have been won: Anilkumar Bolla's Dh100 million (18 October 2025), Tayab Khan's Dh30 million (27 May 2026) and Sunil Kumar Sadasivan's Dh30 million (1 July 2026).
• The operator reported more than 600,000 registered online players in September 2025, and cumulative prizes passed Dh175 million by April 2026.
• Since October 2025 the lottery has used Napier AI's screening technology for sanctions, PEP and adverse-media checks at onboarding.

Who is The Game LLC?

The Game LLC is a commercial gaming operator based in Abu Dhabi and part of Momentum Group. The GCGRA awarded it the licence to run the UAE's first authorised lottery on 28 July 2024, describing it as a company specialising in game development, lottery operations and gaming-related content. The lottery launched in late 2024.

On 9 December 2024 the regulator went further, calling The Game LLC the sole lottery licensee in a public warning against unlicensed operators. That notice also settled a common confusion: Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free are allowed to continue as preexisting airport lotteries under GCGRA supervision, but they are a narrow historical carve-out, not rivals to the federal licence. We compare the three in our guide to the UAE Lottery vs Big Ticket vs Dubai Duty Free.

The Game LLC sits within a small cluster of Momentum companies. It shares a registered address on Reem Island with Coin Technology Projects LLC, the only company on the GCGRA register for internet gaming and sports wagering, which operates Play971. Our licence tracker keeps the full register picture.

Who owns The Game LLC?

The Game LLC is part of Abu Dhabi's Momentum Group. Since 29 June 2026 its licensed operations, including The UAE Lottery and Play971, have sat inside the Fanatics–Momentum joint venture, which the GCGRA approved in advance as a change in control. The venture's financial terms and ownership split have not been made public, so any more precise ownership claim remains unconfirmed.

What lottery does The Game LLC operate?

The UAE Lottery, the country's first authorised lottery, launched in late 2024. The GCGRA named The Game LLC its sole lottery licensee in a public warning on 9 December 2024; Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free continue only as preexisting airport lotteries under its supervision.

The Fanatics joint venture

The biggest corporate development since the licence award came on 29 June 2026, when Momentum Group and Fanatics announced a strategic joint venture to operate and grow commercial gaming in the UAE. All of Momentum's existing licences and operations form part of the venture, and the GCGRA approved the change in control for the licensed entities, comprising The UAE Lottery and Play971, before the announcement.

In practical terms, Fanatics brings product, technology and its experience of scaling quickly in regulated US states; iGB reports that Play971 is among the sites to be powered by the new venture, with the partners jointly investing in technology, product, customer experience and player-protection safeguards. It is Fanatics' first move outside the United States. Financial terms have not been made public, and neither company has said what changes players will see first — treat any specific product claims as unconfirmed until the venture announces them.

The format revamp and the new games

The UAE Lottery launched with a Dh100 million jackpot on its flagship Lucky Day draw. That era ended on 29 November 2025, when the final Dh100 million draw produced no winner. From December 2025 the format changed: a Dh30 million grand prize, a new Dh5 million second prize and guaranteed Dh100,000 Lucky Chance winners in every draw, with the draw moving from fortnightly to weekly.

The logic showed quickly. Smaller top prizes mean more winnable jackpots, and 2026 has delivered. On 4 April 2026 the operator announced Lucky Day would run twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. By then, cumulative prizes across all games had passed Dh175 million, according to Khaleej Times.

Around the flagship draw, The Game LLC has built a wider portfolio — more than 20 gaming experiences by March 2026, per the operator's figures reported by local media:

• Scratch cards (from July 2025): tickets from Dh5 to Dh50, top prize Dh1 million.
• Color Prediction (September 2025): entries from Dh1, a draw every minute.
• Quick 5 (February 2026): tickets from Dh2, draws every two minutes, prizes up to 550 times the entry, per Gulf News.
• Pick 3 and Pick 4 daily numbers games, plus eInstant titles such as Marble Run and Lucky Lagoon.

How much does a UAE Lottery ticket cost?

A Lucky Day entry costs Dh50, including 5 per cent VAT, according to Gulf News. The rapid games cost less: Color Prediction entries start at Dh1, Quick 5 tickets at Dh2, and scratch cards run from Dh5 to Dh50.

The winners so far

Three grand prizes have been claimed in the lottery's history. Anilkumar Bolla, a 29-year-old Indian IT professional living in Abu Dhabi, won the only Dh100 million jackpot ever offered, in the draw of 18 October 2025.

The new Dh30 million format has been won twice in five weeks. Tayab Khan, a 26-year-old Nepalese security guard in Abu Dhabi, took the first in the Eid Al Adha draw of 27 May 2026; the operator later revealed he pooled the ticket with four friends, and the prize is split five ways. Sunil Kumar Sadasivan, a 52-year-old Indian resident of Abu Dhabi, won the second in draw 260701 on 1 July 2026. The Dh5 million second prize has also been won at least twice, first in the draw of 14 February 2026.

Retail, player numbers and how payments work

Until recently the lottery was online-only. In late August 2025 it launched Retail Express, selling physical tickets at three ADNOC stations in Dubai — Jebel Ali, Al Quoz and Business Bay. Around the same milestone, The Game's director of lottery operations, Bishop Woosley, told Khaleej Times the lottery had passed 600,000 registered online users and 247,000 winners in its first ten months.

The player rules remain as the operator's official FAQ states them. You must be at least 18, a natural person, physically inside the UAE and outside any restricted areas set by the GCGRA. Deposits must come from a payment method in the account holder's own name, withdrawals go to a UAE IBAN in the customer's name, prizes up to Dh100,000 are claimed through the account, and all prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw. Customer funds are held in segregated accounts that do not belong to the operator. We cover the mechanics in detail in our UAE Lottery rules explainer and our guide to buying tickets at retailers.

Compliance: Napier AI and player protection

On 8 October 2025, London-based Napier AI announced that The Game LLC had implemented its Client Screening platform, running sanctions, politically-exposed-person and adverse-media checks when players register. The companies said integration took under 11 weeks and early results cut false positives. The deal fits the federal framework: gaming operators in the UAE sit inside the anti-money-laundering regime as designated non-financial businesses, a structure we explain in our piece on financial crime prevention in UAE gaming licensing.

Responsible gaming is the other pillar. The operator offers deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, holds World Lottery Association responsible-gaming certification (reported by Gulf News in February 2026, when cumulative prizes stood at Dh165 million across 800,000 players), and works with the UAE mental-wellbeing platform Takalam for players who need support.

What is still unconfirmed

A few things are worth watching rather than asserting. The financial terms and ownership split of the Fanatics venture are not public. Retail expansion beyond the three ADNOC stations has been reported as planned but not confirmed. A mobile app has been described by the operator as planned, with no timeline. And the practical effect of the Fanatics technology migration on The UAE Lottery's games and branding has not been detailed.

FAQ

Who operates The UAE Lottery? The Game LLC, an Abu Dhabi company in Momentum Group, licensed by the GCGRA on 28 July 2024 and confirmed as the sole lottery licensee in December 2024.

Did Fanatics buy The UAE Lottery? No. Fanatics and Momentum formed a joint venture, announced 29 June 2026, that now operates Momentum's licensed businesses including the lottery and Play971. The GCGRA approved the change in control; financial terms are undisclosed.

Who owns The Game LLC? The Game LLC is part of Abu Dhabi's Momentum Group. Since June 2026 its licensed operations sit inside Momentum's joint venture with Fanatics, and the venture's ownership split has not been disclosed.

What is the current UAE Lottery jackpot? Dh30 million on the flagship Lucky Day draw, with a Dh5 million second prize. Draws run twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much does a UAE Lottery ticket cost? Dh50 including VAT for the flagship Lucky Day draw. The rapid games start lower: Color Prediction from Dh1, Quick 5 from Dh2, and scratch cards from Dh5 to Dh50.

Has anyone ever won the jackpot? Three times: Dh100 million in October 2025 (Anilkumar Bolla), and Dh30 million in May and July 2026 (Tayab Khan and Sunil Kumar Sadasivan).

Can tourists play The UAE Lottery? Players must be 18 or over and physically in the UAE. See our guide for tourists for the wider rules.

Where can I buy a ticket in person? Online at the official site, or physically at three ADNOC stations in Dubai under the Retail Express programme. Wider retail expansion is unconfirmed.

Further reading

• UAE Lottery rules explained
• UAE Lottery retailers explained
• UAE Lottery vs Big Ticket vs Dubai Duty Free
• UAE Lottery draw 260718: winning numbers and odds
• Play971: the UAE's only licensed online gaming operator, April 2026
• Coin Technology Projects' UAE licences
• UAE gaming licence tracker 2026
• What is legal in UAE gaming right now

Sources

• GCGRA, official site and licensees register: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/
• iGB, "Momentum and Fanatics launch UAE gaming joint venture" (29 June 2026): https://igamingbusiness.com/strategy/fanatics-uae-gaming-joint-venture-momentum/
• Fanatics investor release, "Momentum and Fanatics Join Forces" (29 June 2026): https://investor.fanatics.com/news/news-details/2026/Momentum-and-Fanatics-Join-Forces-to-Build-a-New-Powerhouse-in-Regional-Regulated-Commercial-Gaming-2026-dNu70ThRmc/default.aspx
• Napier AI, "Napier AI partners with the Game LLC, UAE for AML screening" (8 October 2025): https://www.napier.ai/post/gaming-uae-screening
• Khaleej Times, "UAE Lottery: over 600,000 play since 2024 launch" (1 September 2025): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-lottery-over-600000-play-nearly-250000-win-prizes-since-launch
• Khaleej Times, "UAE Lottery: twice-a-week draws to win Dh30 million explained" (6 April 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-lottery-twice-a-week-draws-to-win-dh30-million-explained
• Gulf News, "UAE Lottery update: new twice-weekly Lucky Day draws" (7 April 2026): https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-lottery-update-what-to-know-about-the-new-twice-weekly-lucky-day-draws-1.500498536
• SiGMA, "UAE Lottery ends Dh100m era with new weekly Lucky Day" (2 December 2025): https://sigma.world/news/uae-lottery-ends-dh100m-era-with-weekly-dh30-million-lucky-draw/
• Gulf News, "UAE Lottery reveals identity of historic Dh100 million jackpot winner" (27 October 2025): https://gulfnews.com/uae/who-won-the-dh100-million-uae-lottery-jackpot-the-secret-is-finally-out-1.500322705
• Gulf News, "26-year-old security guard and four friends win Dh30 million" (8 June 2026): https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-lottery-26-year-old-security-guard-and-four-friends-win-first-dh30-million-grand-prize-1.500567115
• Khaleej Times, "Family birth dates help Indian expat win Dh30 million" (13 July 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/indian-expat-sunil-kumar-sadasivan-family-birth-dates-wins-dh30-million-uae-lottery
• Arabian Business, "UAE Lottery names second $8.2m winner in five weeks" (7 July 2026): https://www.arabianbusiness.com/abnews/uae-lottery-second-winner
• Gulf News, "UAE Lottery launches Quick 5" (13 February 2026): https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-lottery-launches-new-game-quick-5-win-550-times-entry-amount-starting-from-dh2-1.500441910
• Gulf News, "UAE Lottery awards Dh165 million to 800,000 players" (10 February 2026): https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-lottery-secures-global-responsible-gaming-certification-milestone-1.500437873
• The UAE Lottery, official site: https://www.theuaelottery.ae/