Dubai, UAE — A long-time resident of Dubai has made raffle history. , a 44-year-old Afghan national, has become the first person from Afghanistan to win the the $1 million jackpot in the Millennium Millionaire draw organised by Dubai Duty Free.
🎟️ The big win
- Barakzai purchased the winning ticket (ticket number 1700) online on 23 September.
- The draw was held recently in Concourse D at .
- He won in Series 519 of the draw.
🧑💼 About the winner
- He has lived in Dubai since 2014 and runs his own interior decoration company in the Business Bay area.
- He is a father of three children.
- He said he had been participating in the raffle for four years, always believing he might win.
🌍 Significance & reactions
- Barakzai’s win is notable not just for the large prize, but because no Afghan national had won the million-dollar prize before him.
- He called the raffle “one of the most genuine promotions in the world” and expressed gratitude to the organisers.
💭 What next for the winner
- At this time, detailed plans for how he will use the winnings haven’t been fully disclosed.
- This could be life-changing for his family and business, given the scale of the prize.