LotteryJuly 24, 2026

Will Mahzooz and Emirates Draw Ever Come Back?

Mahzooz and Emirates Draw have been suspended in the UAE since January 2024. What happened, where both companies went, and the legal draws to play instead.

Casino in Dubai Editorial TeamJul 24, 20268 min read

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Will Mahzooz and Emirates Draw Ever Come Back?

Last updated: 24 July 2026

Mahzooz and Emirates Draw were the two big weekly draws of the pre-regulation era, and both stopped selling tickets in the UAE on 1 January 2024. More than two years on, the Indian and Filipino expat communities that made up their player base still search for them daily. The short answer: there is no evidence either brand is coming back, and the structure of the market now makes a return unlikely. Here is what happened, where both companies went, and what you can legally play instead.

Key takeaways

Mahzooz and Emirates Draw paused UAE operations on 1 January 2024 under an industry-wide mandate from the federal regulator, the GCGRA. Both later bid for the UAE's sole national lottery licence.
In July 2024 that licence went to The Game LLC, operator of The UAE Lottery. Neither Mahzooz's operator Ewings nor Emirates Draw won.
A GCGRA consumer advisory of 9 December 2024 named only three authorised lottery activities: The UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free. Mahzooz and Emirates Draw are not on the list.
Emirates Draw now operates internationally, run by Isle of Man-based Tycheros across a reported 175 countries — but its website is blocked in the UAE and UAE residents cannot take part.
Ewings said in July 2024 it was planning "new ventures"; Mahzooz has not run a draw since 30 December 2023.
No relaunch application, licence or public statement points to a UAE comeback for either brand as of July 2026.

What happened on 1 January 2024?

Both draws announced a "temporary pause" in late December 2023, citing compliance with new commercial gaming regulations. Emirates Draw stopped UAE ticket sales on 31 December 2023; Mahzooz held its last draw on 30 December 2023. The pause was part of an industry-wide mandate as the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) — the UAE's federal gaming regulator, announced in September 2023 — moved to bring all prize draws under one licensing framework, with no timeframe given for resumption.

Within weeks, both operators confirmed what the pause really meant. Mahzooz announced in January 2024 that it had bid for the new national lottery licence; Emirates Draw did the same. The GCGRA had told operators there would be only one national lottery licensee.

The licence decision that closed the door

On 28 July 2024, the GCGRA awarded the UAE's first — and only — lottery licence to The Game LLC, which launched The UAE Lottery. We covered the company's structure in our profile of The Game LLC's UAE lottery licence.

Ewings, the Mahzooz operator, responded the same day with a statement calling the decision "disappointing", noting it had kept staff at full capacity for seven months awaiting the outcome, and said it was planning "exciting new ventures". It did not say Mahzooz would return.

The regulator then removed any remaining ambiguity. In a consumer advisory dated 9 December 2024, the GCGRA warned residents about unlicensed lottery and gaming operators and stated that only The UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free were authorised lottery activities within the federal framework — Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free continuing as pre-existing airport draws under GCGRA supervision, as we explained in our piece on their legal status. Neither Mahzooz nor Emirates Draw appeared.

Where the two companies are now

Emirates Draw pivoted abroad. Its international operation is run by Tycheros, an Isle of Man-based lottery company, which Gulf News reported in May 2025 operates the brand online across 175 countries. The games — MEGA7, EASY6, FAST5 — continue weekly, with live draws replaced by an internationally certified random number generator, according to the company's own customer replies. In March 2025 the brand produced its first global Dh100 million MEGA7 winner: Sriram Rajagopalan, a retired engineer in Chennai, India.

Crucially, that international operation excludes the UAE. Gulf News reported that UAE residents can no longer access the Emirates Draw website, the site is restricted within the country and no physical tickets are sold. Before the suspension, Emirates Draw said it had distributed more than Dh168 million to over 800,000 winners in under three years.

Mahzooz, by contrast, has simply stopped. No draws have run since December 2023, the brand has not relaunched anywhere else, and Ewings' promised "new ventures" have not, as of July 2026, produced a public gaming product in the UAE or abroad.

Could either draw ever return?

Nothing is impossible, but the honest reading of the public record is that a comeback would require the regulator to change its own framework. Three points stand in the way:

The single-licence model. The GCGRA told operators there would be one national lottery licensee, and it chose The Game LLC. A Mahzooz or Emirates Draw relaunch would need a second lottery licence the regulator has shown no sign of offering.
The December 2024 advisory. The regulator has already drawn the line publicly: three authorised draws, everything else unlicensed.
Both companies have moved on. Emirates Draw has rebuilt as an international product that deliberately excludes the UAE; Ewings has pivoted away from draws entirely.

Neither company has announced a UAE relaunch application, and no filing on the GCGRA's public register suggests one. Treat any social-media post or WhatsApp message claiming Mahzooz or Emirates Draw is "back in the UAE" as a scam red flag — our guide on how to spot unlicensed gaming offers covers the usual patterns.

What to play instead

Players in the UAE have three authorised options:

The UAE Lottery — the federally licensed national draw from The Game LLC. Lucky Day draws run twice weekly with a Dh30 million top prize, alongside Quick 5, scratch cards and instant games; tickets from Dh2. See our UAE Lottery rules explainer and the latest draw results and odds.
Big Ticket — the Abu Dhabi airport raffle, running monthly series with multi-million-dirham grand prizes, continuing under GCGRA supervision.
Dubai Duty Free — the Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws, also continuing under supervision.

We compared all three in UAE Lottery vs Big Ticket vs Dubai Duty Free. Anything else marketed to UAE residents as a lottery or raffle is unlicensed — and the GCGRA warns that consumers who use unlicensed operators may face penalties themselves, a point we cover in what is legal in UAE gaming right now.

FAQ

Is Mahzooz coming back in 2026? There is no evidence of it. Mahzooz's last draw was on 30 December 2023, its operator Ewings lost the sole national lottery licence in July 2024 and has said it is pursuing "new ventures". No relaunch has been announced by the company or the regulator.

Can I play Emirates Draw from the UAE? No. Emirates Draw continues internationally under Tycheros, but its website is restricted inside the UAE and no tickets are sold in the country. It is not one of the three lottery activities the GCGRA has authorised.

Why were Mahzooz and Emirates Draw suspended? Both paused from 1 January 2024 under an industry-wide mandate as the GCGRA introduced a single-licence national lottery framework. Both bid for that licence; both lost to The Game LLC in July 2024.

What happened to the money in my Mahzooz or Emirates Draw account? Players were advised to withdraw any remaining balances when operations paused. If you still have an outstanding balance, contact the operator's customer support directly — no official refund deadline or process has been publicly updated since 2024.

Is it legal to use offshore lottery sites from the UAE? No. Only The UAE Lottery, Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free are authorised, and the GCGRA states that commercial gaming without its licence is illegal, with potential penalties for consumers as well as operators.

What is the closest alternative to Mahzooz? The UAE Lottery's Lucky Day draw is the direct successor — a twice-weekly national draw with a Dh30 million top prize, run by the federally licensed operator.

Sources

Al Arabiya, "UAE-wide suspension on prize draws, inc Mahzooz, Emirates Draw comes into effect": https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2024/01/02/UAE-wide-suspension-on-prize-draws-inc-Mahzooz-Emirates-Draw-comes-into-effect-
Asia Gaming Brief, "UAE puts raffles and prize draws on hold from January 1": https://agbrief.com/news/uae/02/01/2024/uae-puts-raffles-and-prize-draws-on-hold-from-january-1/
Khaleej Times, "UAE: Mahzooz plans 'new ventures' as first lottery licence awarded to The Game": https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-mahzooz-plans-new-ventures-as-first-lottery-licence-awarded-to-the-game
iGB, "Ewings plans pivot after 'disappointing' UAE Lottery decision": https://igamingbusiness.com/lottery/ewings-uae-lottery-decision/
GCGRA, official site (consumer advisory, 9 December 2024): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/
Gulf News, "Emirates Draw reveals Dh100million lottery winner is Sriram Rajagopalan": https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/emirates-draw-reveals-first-global-winner-of-dh100m-lottery-1.500137132
Times of Dubai, "UAE's Lottery Market: Big Ticket Abu Dhabi Crowns Driver": https://timesofdubai.ae/uaes-lottery-market-evolves-big-ticket-abu-dhabi-crowns-driver-millionaire/