DUBAI: A 56-year-old British researcher based in Hong Kong has emerged as the latest dollar millionaire in Dubai Duty Free’s long-running Millennium Millionaire promotion.
The draw, held on Wednesday at Concourse C of Dubai International Airport, was streamed live on the official Dubai Duty Free Facebook page, revealing multiple winners of high-value prizes.
Ronnie S, who works as a research fellow at a university in Hong Kong, won the top prize of $1 million in Millennium Millionaire Series 497. He had purchased his winning ticket number 1844 online on 31st March.
Ronnie becomes the 17th British national to win the Millennium Millionaire title since the programme began in 1999.
The draw was officiated by Dubai Duty Free’s Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi, Deputy Managing Director Salah Tahlak, SVP of Marketing Sinead El Sibai, and SVP of Retail Michael Schmidt, alongside other senior officials.
Finest Surprise
Following the main draw, Dubai Duty Free continued the excitement with its popular Finest Surprise promotion, awarding three luxury vehicles and a motorbike to winners from across the globe.
Saudi national Nawwaf Saad, aged 65 and based in Jeddah, took home a BMW 740i M Sport (Dravit Grey Metallic) car in Series 1917. His winning ticket number 1037 was bought online on 26th March. Saad, a frequent entrant since 2020, is no stranger to victory – this marks his fourth luxury vehicle win.
He previously won a BMW X6 M50i in June 2022 (Series 1807), a Mercedes Benz S500 in July 2023 (Series 1843), and a Range Rover Sport Dynamic HSE P400 in May 2024 (Series 1878).
Special birthday gift
Meanwhile, Thomas D’Silva, a 53-year-old Portuguese expatriate living in Dubai, was thrilled to win a Mercedes Benz G 63 (Polar White) in Series 1918. His lucky ticket number 0983 was purchased at Terminal 3 Arrivals of Dubai International Airport.
A long-time Dubai resident since 1996, D’Silva works as a finance manager at an insurance firm and is a father of two.
The luxury prizes didn’t stop there. A BMW F 900 R (Black Storm Metallic) motorbike was awarded to Mohammad Fatani, a 69-year-old retired pilot and father of nine, also from Jeddah. Fatani bought ticket number 0200 online on 25th March and became a winner in Series 620. This marks his second win after claiming a Porsche Panamera 4 in April 2018.