No additional licenses will be granted…

Ahead of the first draw of The UAE Lottery on Saturday December 14, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has confirmed that only three lottery operators will be granted licenses in the UAE.

The UAE Lottery, announced over the summer and set to begin with a Dhs100m jackpot this weekend, created and managed by The Game LLC, has been given the country’s sole lottery license.

Additionally, two long-running “lottery activities” will be allowed to continue, according to GCGRA as per Khaleej Times. The airport lotteries Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free are permitted to continue running under GCGRA supervision.

All other existing lotteries or those offering lottery activities will not be eligible to obtain a lottery license, and have been ordered to shut down by the GCGRA. So, it’s not likely that we’ll see the Emirates Draw or Mahooz come back in their previous forms.

The UAE Lottery

Back in July, the GCGRA awarded a license for the first official lottery in the UAE to Abu Dhabi-based operator, The Game LLC. Last month, it was officially launched as The UAE Lottery, with the rules and regulations around it explained for the first time.

The UAE Lottery will begin on Saturday December 14, with tickets now available to be bought via theuaelottery.ae. The Lucky Day grand prize will see one winner snap up a life-changing Dhs100 million. There will also be seven Lucky Chance IDs guaranteed to win Dhs100,000 each.

How it works

Tickets are priced at Dhs50, and you’re invited to pick six numbers from 1 to 31, called days. Then, you pick one number from 1 to 12, marked as the month.

You must be over the age of 18 to participate.

If you match all six days and the month number, you’ll get the top prize. If you match the six days but not the month, you’ll get a share of the second prize.

Third prizes go to those that match five days and the month. Fourth prizes go to five days and no month, or four days and the month.

Additionally, you can buy scratch cards for a chance to win up to Dhs50,000, Dhs100,000, Dhs300,000 or Dhs1 million. The digital scratch cards are priced at Dhs5 for the Dhs50,000 prize, Dhs10 for the Dhs100,000 prize, Dhs20 for the Dhs300,000 prize, and Dhs50 for the Dhs1 million prize.