The UAE Lottery spotlights AED 5m winner Kishore Pandurang Rao in Brett Lee interview

Abu Dhabi sit-down details how the long-time UAE expat discovered the win and reversed plans to leave the country.

The UAE Lottery has released an interview between its Chief Celebrations Officer Brett Lee and AED 5 million winner Kishore Pandurang Rao, filmed in Abu Dhabi and dated 3 November 2026.

Rao, a Mumbai-born UAE resident since 1993, told Lee he initially missed the email notification about the prize before checking his account. “Suddenly it struck me. So, I opened my account, and it was me,” he recalled. “I was surprised. I was stunned.” Rao said he kept the news to himself for three days before telling his wife.

In the interview, Rao described the win as difficult to process after three decades of work. “It took me a long time to believe that I’d actually won,” Kishore shared. “I've worked for 30 years, and I still can't believe my luck. This is a big win for me.”

Rao also said the result changed near-term life plans. “I told my wife, ‘I want to go back. October is my last month,’” he recalled. “Then October had just started, and I received this good news! October is always a new beginning for me.” He added: “I’m staying here… Actually, I was planning to leave before, but now I've changed my mind. I'll bring my family over here.”

Lee said celebrating winners is central to his role, as The UAE Lottery positions the draw around public winner stories and prize moments.