- UAE nationals, expatriates and tourists from Australia, Croatia, Canada, India Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan and Yemen win precious gold and diamond prizes
UAE: It is raining gold and diamonds at the 20th anniversary edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) ever since it kicked off on 1 January. In the first two weeks of DSF itself, the Gold and Jewellery Mega Raffle, has taken guests and tourists from countries near and far, on a fantastic “Journey Into Winning”.
As part of the raffle, locals from the UAE and expats and tourists from various countries including Australia, Canada, Croatia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen have won incredible prizes in the form of 1 kilo and 5 kilos of gold and 1 carat solitaire diamonds.
The rich diversity of the winners in terms of their different nationalities, truly adds an extra sparkle to DSF’s universal theme – One World, One Family, One Festival – and reinforces its position as one of the most popular shopping festivals that people from various part of the world look forward to each year.
“I have participated in many raffles before but never won anything big. This is the first time I am actually winning something extremely valuable and I am extremely happy,” said Iman Mohammed, the first Emirati to win 1 kilo gold at this year’s Dubai Gold and Jewellery Mega Raffle.
While for many winners, the valuable prize has come in as an unexpected life-changing surprise, others had been eyeing it for many years and are now looking forward to put the prize money to good use.
Akbar Basha, an Indian national who won 1 kilo of gold at the raffle after trying his luck for 20 years, said: “I bought some bangles valued at 4,850 dirhams. I was given nine raffle tickets at Malabar Gold and I asked the salesman to give me one more. He responded saying that the store policy does not allow them to do so and with a smile said that if I were to win, I could win with just one ticket. I support my entire family back home. Sometimes, I also support the other people in our village in case they need financial help.”
The Gold and Jewellery Mega Raffle is the biggest ever gold and jewellery promotion, offering shoppers spending AED 500 at any of the participating outlets, the chance to win up to AED 15 million in prizes including 100 kilos of gold and 40 carats of diamond across 32 days of DSF. Shoppers will be entitled to one raffle coupon upon gold purchases of AED 500 or more and will receive two raffle coupons when spending AED 500 or more on diamond jewellery.
Those looking to own a piece of history, can also purchase a part of the ‘Dubai Celebration Chain’ which has set the Guinness World Record for the longest handmade gold chain in the world. Upon purchasing a piece of this historical chain, shoppers will receive two raffles for the draw instead of one and can therefore double their chances of winning.
DSF 2015 runs until 1 February under the theme “A Journey of Celebrations”, offering more than 150 citywide events, mega attractions, numerous shopping opportunities and winning options for residents and visitors from around the world.