UAE Lottery: How much are tickets, how to play and what are the odds of winning the Dh100m jackpot?

Anticipation is growing as UAE residents dream of winning a life-changing Dh100 million jackpot in the country's first regulated national lottery, with its inaugural draw next week.

Tickets for the UAE Lottery are priced at Dh50 and can be purchased on its official website. The eagerly-awaited first draw on December 14 will also be broadcast live.

The authorised lottery has been more than a year in the making and is the result of a major government drive to overhaul the UAE's commercial gaming sector. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority was established in September last year with the aim to shape a “world-leading regulatory framework for a national lottery and commercial gaming”.

Independent lottery operators were directed to pause their activities in January, with the GCGRA awarding a licence for the national lottery in July to Game LLC under the banner of UAE Lottery.

Now Game LLC has unveiled its lottery draw format, introduced a range of scratch cards offering lucrative prizes and put tickets on sale for the big draw.

Here, The National explains how to play, the prizes you can win and just what are the odds of you landing the winning numbers.

How to watch the first UAE Lottery draw

The milestone draw will take place at 8.30pm on Saturday, December 14 and will be streamed on the UAE Lottery YouTube channel. Draws will then subsequently be held every other Saturday.

For those who do not catch the live drawing, results will be published on the official lottery website. Winners will be notified through their registered player account.

How to play the game?

The Lucky Day lottery draw follows a calendar format, with players asked to select six numbers from a possible 31 from a 'day' section of the online draw card and one number from 12 in the 'month' section. Players must register on the official lottery website to participate. There are 43 numbers in total to pick from.

Lottery hopefuls can either choose their own numbers each week or use the easy pick option on the website, which selects numbers at random.

What are the prizes?

Players who match all seven numbers – six from the 'day' section and the one number from the 'month' section are in line for the Dh100 million top prize. Should there be more than one winning ticket, the windfall will be shared equally.

A Dh1 million second prize is on offer for selecting all six 'day' numbers. A Dh100,000 prize is provided for getting five numbers, plus the 'month' number. Those who select five 'day' numbers or four 'day' numbers and the 'month' number will collect Dh1,000.

How to spend your winnings – in pictures

So how would you spend Dh100 million? To truly live life in the fast lane you need a luxury car in the garage. The limited edition Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ is for the most passionate of petrolheads, retailing at more than Dh14 million

Once you have your flashy new set of wheels, it makes sense to get a personalised number plate. The V12 plate sold for a tidy Dh7.2 million at a previous RTA auction in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The National

You are already feeling over the moon so why not fly to it? Commercial flights might be commonplace long in the future, but will be the preserve of the rich and famous in the short term at least as space entrepreneurs bid to corner the market

Travel in style on board Etihad's The Residence. VIP flights come with a host of perks, including a comfy bed.

When money is no object, why not splash out on a stay at a submarine hotel? This luxurious underwater establishment in St Lucia will set you back Dh1 million a night

A boost to the bank balance affords one the opportunity to travel the world. How about a trip to Paris once you need a break from lazing around the mansion?

For those looking to lay down roots in Dubai, there are plenty of spacious villas in Emirates Hills - dubbed the Beverly Hills of the UAE. One of the priciest properties in the area on the market is on sale for Dh14.5 million

Any self-respecting millionaire has to have a yacht. While a super yacht might be out of the reach of even someone with Dh20 million, you can still pick up a top-of-the-line vessel and still have some change. Pawan Singh / The National

Live the high life with a plush apartment in the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa. Lavish pads are available for under Dh5 million. Satish Kumar / The National

Players who pick three 'day' numbers and the 'month' number or two 'day' numbers and the 'month number will pick up Dh100.

It is not clear if the Dh100 million jackpot will rollover, meaning it would increase by Dh100 million each week if there is no winner. The UAE Lottery website makes no mention of a rollover, but says that the jackpot prize is set at Dh100 million.

Who is eligible?

Participants must be residents within the UAE who are at least 18. Some independent prize draws had allowed players to enter if based overseas.

Do I need to register?

Players must register an account on the UAE Lottery website to be in be in with a chance of winning big. Users must provide their name, Emirates ID – to prove residence in the country – their date of birth, mobile number, email and create a password.

What are the odds of winning?

As with any large lottery, the chances of winning the mega prize are slim but not impossible. The odds of matching all seven numbers for the Dh100 million jackpot are a daunting 8,835,372 to 1. Prospects increase as the cash prizes drop in value, with a one in 803,216 chance of securing the six balls needed for a cool Dh1 million. Winning the Dh100 prize is a mere one in 12 by comparison.

Lotteries around the world

A woman holds Powerball lottery tickets inside a store in Florida on July 19, 2023. AFP

Lottery fever has spread all over the world, with dozens of countries hosting their own draws with lucrative prizes up for grabs. The Powerball and Mega Millions draws in the US offer eye-watering sums each week.

The largest jackpot for a single ticket was a staggering $997 million (Dh3.6 billion) won in the Powerball draw on November 7, 2022.

The UK's National Lottery – established in 1994 – has made a host of millionaires over the years and has also contributed heavily to good causes through the funds it generates. A record £42 million jackpot was shared by three winning tickets back in 1996.

This cash haul has been exceeded a number of times by the EuroMillions – played in European countries including the UK – with its biggest payout standing at £195 million, won by one lucky ticketholder in the UK in 2022.

Italy's Supernalotto offered a jackpot of €371.1 million last year. One winning ticket was shared by a syndicate of 90 players.

What is commercial gaming?

According to the GCGRA's website, it is the only entity that can regulate, license and supervise commercial gaming activities and centres within the UAE, which include lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and land-based integrated gaming centres or resorts.

“Commercial gaming” refers to “any game of chance, or combination of chance and skill, where an amount of money, in cash or cash equivalents, is wagered – placed as a bet – for the purpose of winning a sum of money or other valuable items”.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Two products to make at home

Toilet cleaner

1 cup baking soda

1 cup castile soap

10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)

Method:

1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.

2. Add the essential oil to the mix.

Air Freshener

100ml water

5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)

Method:

1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.

2. Shake well before use.

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.